THE NEXT-OF-KIN.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5222, 4 January 1928, Page 4

THE NEXT-OF-KIN.

(By

A. A. KENNY,

Paeroa.)

“Oh I” she said tearfully, “if you really are kind and friendly. I. ve been so wretched. I’ve had no one to help me.” “You’ve got me —.and you might have, plenty worse, let. me tell you.”

In the starry, sweetness of the night,, with the' air full of garden scents and the blessed dusk veiling her tear-stained face, she, managed to falter out her story. Tom listened with an occasional word of comment and encouragement, and having got both her hands in his continued to hold them in a warm, strong grasp.

“That’s all,” she said at length ; “and what am I tp do now—at this late hour, too. I can’s go back.” “Yes you can," he urged. “Don’t run away. Face it —face it, my dear. If it’s too hard to tell Mr Hilton the truth tell Mr S'avage. He’s a good sort.”

They walked slowly back to the house. The girl had. slipped out by a French window opening on the lawn, and it was still ajar. They-opened it. noiselessly and she entered. Tom stepped ip behind her to put her bag down and no soonefr were they both within the. room than someone switched the electric light on.

Two couples stared at each other; but whereas Mr Hilton and Mann were prepared for the ejneounter, Tom and the girl were taken quite by surprise. She gasped and clung to h's arm, white, wet-faced with recent tears, and greatly confused. Tom glared belligerently ; he was not easily put out of countenance, but he wa& angry on his companion’s account. “And what does this mean,” asked old Mr Hilton in his most unpleasant voice.

“Miss Hilton is ill,” returned Tom calmly, “and would like, to go to her room.”

“Miss Hilton can remain here. I have something of importance to say.” “All right.” He- steadied her to a chair and stood beside her, outfacing the old man with, hard eyes which anyone attentive to racial similarities would have noted immediately. But the old man turned threateningly upon the shrinking girl.

"Young woman,” he said, “you are an imposter. You are not my granddaughter. I have beein making investigations.”

“You can’t have carried them very far, then,” said Tom,' interrupting with perfect effrontery.

Mr Hilton gave, him the benefit of an icy stare for a second, and it occurred to Tom, angry as he felt, that there was no use in enraging the old man against, himself. “I’m not quite clear as to your part in this,” said the old man, “but the investigations that Mr Mann has made for me make it quite plain that th’s girl has practised a deliberate fraud upon me, for which,” he added inexorably, “I, intend to give her in charge. . Do you propose to appe'ar as her confederate ?” “Confederate nothing I” said Tom. “Are‘you going to give me in charge, too?”

“1 am. Your conduct is, highly suspicious.. How you. have imposed upon Mr Savage I don’t know; but I have reason to believe that you are passing under an assumed name.” • “You’re right, you’re perfectly right,” said Tom with a short laugh. “I am passing under an assumed name. Would you like to hear my reial name ?”

“Insolence will dp you no good,” stammered Mr Hilton, beginning to pale with excitement 'and anger. “It is nothing to me what your name is.”

“It might be a good deal, you know,” persisted Tom, “because it happens to be the same as your own. As a matter of fact my name is Tom Hilton, and Walter Hilton was my father, so you see I’m your grandson.” Mr Mann smiled a superior smile, and the girl in the chair gave a gasp ; but Mr Hilton stood speechless, moving his head and hands a little, as if rage choked .him. “You —you impudent-—” he beganat last, in a hoarse voice, and fell suddenly down unconscious. Tom ran to help Mann raise him and lay him on a pouch, but he did not recover consciousness and in a few moments the house was in a stir, as his housekeeper and manservant were roused up to attend to him. When Tom, no longer needed, turned away from the deathly face on the couch he found that Anne had taken advantage of the confusion to disappear. He felt sure she had left the house, and as soon as he- got outside, he heard her footsteps ahead of him in the .dark. He had to run to overtake her,' and when he did he caught her and held her fast.

“Oh, no, please let me go !” she said breathlessly. “I must go away. I told you everything, and you didn’t tell me that.”

“Why, that’s nothing. I was going to tell you soon. It is a much more important bit of news that you are going to marry me—yes, you are ! Whatever else happens that’s sureDon’t you try to run'away from me any more. I’m going to take you to Mrs Savage—only wait here a moment. Mr Private Detective) Mann thinks I am running away from him and I want to undeceive'him.”

On the following morning Tom was sitt'ng alone on the verandah of Mr Savage’s house with a thoughtful face. “Queer how things turn out,” he mused. “I’m just the same: man I was yesterday morning, but between that time and this L’ve fallen in love and shouldered responsibilit’es and queered my chance of a fortune) and blacked a private detective’s eye. Well, that was a satisfaction, anyway.”

He saw Mr Savage coming up the garden path and went to -merit him. “How is. my grandfather after his attack last night ?” he asked. “Better than I. expected, and pre-

pared to admit the relationship. He wants to see -you.” Tom smiled a little wryly at tU».

thought of the previous evening. “You know,” he said, “I’m prepared to drive a lorry, or dig drains, or anything rather than toady to a—-well, a savage old bully of a man, grandfather or no, but at the same time I’ll try to be decent to him ; and, of course, 'having her, I’d like to be in a better position than.-I am now.” “That poor girl, yes,” said Mr Savage. “I was very blind and stupid about her, and yht I knew poor Laura well when she was no older than this girl.” “When you come to think of it. Mi Savage,” said Tdm earnestly, “there is a lot to be said in extenuation of what she did.” Later in the day Tom was shown into the room where his grandfather lay propped up on pillows. He. looked so old, so frail and overthrown, that compassion touched the; young man’s heart, but, the bitter and indomitable spirit of the old man soon showed aga'n. “Sit dowin.” he said, “there where I can see you. So you are my • grandson after all.” “Yes, I. am your grandson.” “I. can see a likeness to Walter now I know, and a bad son. he waS to me.” Tom made no remark; but calmly sustained the old man’s, scrutiny and the cross-examination that followed it. At length he reverted to the. girl, evidently furiously resenting the fraud that had been practised on him. “Where is that hussy of a girl ?” he asked. “I was taken ill last night, or she would be in gaol now. Do you know where she is ?” “Yes.” “Where ?” “At Mr Savage’s house. I took her there last night. “Oh ! did you. Savage didn’t mention it. Ring up the police station.” Tom did not move. “Grandfather,” he said in a tone he tried to make gentle .and conciliating. “I have something to tejll you ; something that will make it evident to you that it is impossible to prosecute her for what She has done.”

“Oh ! impossible to prosecute he,r!” Fire; flashed from Mr Hilton’s, eyes.

“What she did,” said Torn, unawed, “was wrong; but not only was she in great need, but she has a genuine claim upon you. She is as much your grandchild as. 1 am. She ; , and a younger sister who is in a sanatorium are your daughter Laura’s children.” “I have no daughter!” esxclaimed the old map trembling. “When she left her husband and ran away with another man I disowned her.”

“So you see,” s.aid Tom, going steadily on, “it was easy for her to impersonate a Hilton. My father never told me anything about his sister Laura, but these girls knew all about the family through her. Well, she is dead, and so is their father, and these poor kids have had a.tough fight, and the other one’s a consumptive; Anne never meant to carry on the, deception ; she only hoped tp make you like her, and then to tell you the truth and ask you to help her and her sister. You see, they want to' keep together, and Anne hasn’t been able to earn enough, poor kid. That’s all. I only wanted to show you that it is impossible to prosecute her.”

The impossibility, which he was forced to admit, almost choked Mr Hilton with rage. He relieved his feelings by turning upon Tom.

“Young man,” He said, “you ? ve had .a great deal to say and have taken upon yourself to show me my duty by this girl who has no claim upon me whatever, and whose very existence is a disgrace to my family. Abd. now you can listen to me. I want ,an heir. There are no charities in which I take the least interest. You are my son’s son. I have destroyed my last will, and Mr Savage is to draw up a new one in which you will be named my sole heir. But—note this—l will have your solemn word first that not one penny of my -money goets to that girl or her sister. I cast their mother off—as she deserved —and I will not have these—these children of sin, coming crawling into my house after I afii gone.” Tom felt a wondering disgust ’ at such ugly implacability. “I don’t see,” he said, “how you can.be so relentless towards two ihelples-s girls, one an invalid. This is the time of peace and goodwill, and all that, and it’s supposed to ne up to everybody to forget old wrongs. These girls, anyway, are only innocent sufferers.” “You need not talk sickly sentiment to me,” retorted the old man, “or you may if you choose, so Long as you understand that you, ' like .' myseilf, must Wash your hands of them.”., Tom folded his arms and pushed put his unde.rlip- “I don’t want to annoy you,” he said, “but I’ve, asked Anne to marry me, and I propose to share everything I have with her from now on.” “You will earn it yourself, then. The charities will benefit by your folly.” Mr Hilton cloaked his anger and disappointment in a harsh brevity. “Right you are,” saiid Tom, rising. “I was afraifi we couldn’t hit it offIn a way I’m glad to have nothing to thank you for.” “Make the most of that enjoyment, then. Good afternoon.” “Good afternoon,” replied Toni, and walked out. He went straight to Mr Savage. “Mr Savage,” he. said, “I understand that my grandfather wants you to get to work drawing up a will in favour of some local charities.” “Hullo! Why—didn’t you—” “My grandfather,” said Tom, “‘is a vindictive old devil! Do you know anyone in this town who wants a reliable man to drive a lorry or a team of horses ?” "Tom —Tom, I’m very much d'sappointed about this.” “Well, I am, too; but I’m even more angry at the things he said. Put me on to some sort of job, Mr Savage, if you can. I’ve got two girls to look after for the first time in my life, and

I’m damn well going to do it.” They went into the nouse together, and regardless of the presence of Mi and Mrs Savage Tom took Anne in! his arms and told her he had fixed everything, including her future fate, which was to marry a very sober and respectable lorry-driver. Poor Anne, harassed and humiliated, cared little for his. quarrel w-'th his grandfather. His love .alope lifted her into a heaven of safety and happiness. She leaned, back in his arms and looked up at him, and Tom kissed her. “I defy both my grandfather and Fate,” he boasted. Mr Savage was ve'ry wiling to assist him, and managed to find him employment. For a week Tom drove a lorry in great good humour, but before he had been able to make any plans about Apne and her sister the fate he had defied played a quite unexpected card. Mr Savage sent for him one day, and Tom drew up his lorry in the road and marched into the lawyer’s offipe in his working clothes, well powdered with dust.

“Tom,” said Mr Savage gravely. “I have, something to tell you. I told you yesterday that your grandfather had practically recovered, but this morning he collapsed unexpectedly and died in a few minutes.” “Dead!” exclaimed Tom in great surprise, and sat down abruptly “You know,” Jie ; said after a pause, during which Savage contemplated him mildly through his pinc-nejz, “I didn’t like him, and yet it sort of hurts somehow. The last tim'e I s-a.w him—making him so angry—feels .as if I’d helped to kill him. Oh, well!” he sighed, and rumpled his hard, “after all he was pretty old —and now won’t the institutions rejoice.” “On thq contrary, Tom, I’m afraid your employer is going to lose a very useful man. Your grandfather never completed his. will —he - changed his mind every day in his choice of charities —and unintentionally died intestate, and you are the next-of-kip.” The End.