Geoffrey's Victory by Mrs Georgie Sheldon — page 135: what you’re looking at

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

Pu eb Sy Wella ee » ’ ee ae aie AN OCTOGENARIAN INTERVIEWED: — 131 Everet colored resentfully at the implied reflection upon the love of his parents for each other; but_he saw that she had spoken thoughtlessly, asif hardly aware of his presence, and, respecting the infirmities of age, he concealed his feelings, although he hastened to set her _ right upon the matter. ‘‘My mother once told me,” he said, a trifie coldly, “that her married life has been a very happy one, and that there was nu one else whom she would have pre- ferred to marry at thé time she was united to my father. There was something rather mysterious about the dis- posal of Rob rt Dale’s fortune, was there not?” Hveret asked, anxious to change the rather delicate subject, and determined to find out all that he could about the Dale family. “You are right,” replied the old lady; “and itisa matter that has never been cleared up to this day, and is— never likely to be, according to my way of thinking. He died very suddenly, and that may perhaps account for if, for I believe the old miser hid his money, and it has been rusting itself away all these years and coing nobody any good. ile gave quite a sum to some charitable associa- — tion, I’ve been told; but that could not have been a tithe of his possessions, for, the way he lived, his income must have accumulated very rapidly.” Everet Mapleson looked interested at this view of the mystery. He had never thought of such an explanation. “IT say it isashame!” the old lady continued, excitedly, “that his brother’s widuw and child could not have had the benefit of some of his money. Charity begins at home, and he had no business to give evena blind asylum hig thousands and hide away the rest, while they were toil- ing early and late for the bare necessities of life.” Everet thought of the richly and daintily furnished roonis that he had visited only the previous day, and came to the conclusion that perhaps Miss Southern did | not know just how they had lived. “Did they own the cottage where they resided?” he asked. 3 ‘Bless you, no! Old Jabez Mapleson owned that; _ didn’t you know it? And it fell to your father, with the rest of the estate, after he died.” The young man started at this information. He had never known just the extent of his father’s es- tate. He had been at the North in different schools during Gomicbooks: co S}