The $500 Check — page 215: what you’re looking at

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

196 THE $500 CHECK. Now you know why he has remained absent all these years.”’ ‘‘But why wasI never told of this, mother ? Why did I not know at the time ?”’ ‘You were only six years of age, and were sent away during the excitement to the house of a friend living at some distance. I moved away from the town in which my misfortunes were known, and eventually came here, learn- ing that Albert Marlowe had established him- self in business here. You readily believed that your father was dead.”’ ‘¢T understand now, mother. But is it not terrible that the happiness of a family should be broken up in this way ?”’ ‘Yes, Bert. Providence permits it for some wise purpose, no doubt, though it is hard for us to understand why it should be.’’ ‘One thing I don’t understand, mother. You say that Squire Marlowe was a common workman, like my father, and a poor man ?”’ ‘Yes, Bert.’’ ‘How is it that he is nowa rich manutfac- turer? Where did he get the necessary capi- tal ?”’ EGomichooks