CHAPTER XIV.
JACK SPEAKS HIS MIND.
A dead silence followed our hero's declaration to remain with Mrs.Ruthven until Dr. Mackey had proved his claim to Jack in a court of law.
"This is a fine way to talk!" ejaculated the surgeon at last. "A fineway, truly!"
"I mean what I say!" declared Jack. "Mother, am I right or wrong?" Andhe turned pleadingly to Mrs. Ruthven.
"Dr. Mackey will certainly have to establish his claim to you before Igive you up, Jack," replied the lady of the plantation quickly. "Yousee, I have adopted him legally, and he has been as dear to me as thoughhe were my own flesh and blood."
"Well--er--of course, in one way, your decision does you credit, madam,"answered the surgeon lamely. "You have done a great deal for the lad,and for that I must be as thankful as he is. When I have proved my claimI will pay you back all the money you have spent upon him."
"I shall not wish a cent, sir."
"Yet I shall insist, madam."
"Are you wealthy?" asked Marion curiously.
"Yes, Miss Ruthven--or I will be as soon as I have proven my identity.As yet I have been able to do but little. Let me add, Mackey is not myreal name."
"What is your real name?" questioned Mrs. Ruthven.
"I will reveal that later, when I have taken the proper steps in law toobtain the vast property which is rightfully coming to me. You see, whenI disappeared, so to speak, nearly eleven years ago, my property wentinto the hands of distant relatives, and they hate to give it up, andare just as anxious to prove me an impostor as you seem to be."
"I am not anxious to prove you an impostor, Dr. Mackey; my heart iswrapped up in Jack, that is all. If he is your son, I will rejoice thathe will be well off."
"I don't want to be rich; I would rather stay with you," put in our heroquickly, and he meant what he said.
"Your affection for your foster mother does you credit, Jack," said thedoctor smoothly.
"She has been the best of mothers to me; so why shouldn't I love her?"
"True, my son, true. But it is strange that you have no warm feeling forme--such as I have for you."
"You are a stranger to me."
"I trust your feeling towards me changes, for I want my only son to loveme."
At this Jack was silent, and instead of looking at the man he looked atMrs. Ruthven and at Marion. Then, unable to control his feelings, herushed from the room, mounted the stairs, and burst into his ownapartment, where he threw himself on the bed, wet as he was, to givehimself up to his misery.
"I don't want that man for a father!" he cried, over and over again,half tearfully and with set teeth. "I don't want him! He isn't a bitlike anybody I could love! Oh, how I wish I had never set eyes on him!"
"It is a great shock to Jack, and to all of us," was Mrs. Ruthven'scomment, after the lad was gone.
"My reception here has been a great shock to me," said the doctorbluntly. "My own son runs away from me."
"He had some trouble with you a couple of weeks ago."
"Pooh, that was nothing! I had almost forgotten it."
"Jack does not forget such things easily. Moreover, he is slow to makefriends with anybody."
"He doesn't know the chances he is throwing away. Were it not that he ismy son, and my heart goes out toward him, I would never bother him."
"What chances has he?" asked Marion.
"I shall be very rich; and, not only that, our family has a famous namein England, with a title attached. Jack may some day be a nobleman."
"I reckon he'd rather be an American," answered Marion.
"Well, there is no accounting for tastes," said the surgeon dryly. "Andyou evidently have him well drilled in."
"What actual proofs have you that Jack is your son?" asked Mrs. Ruthven,after a painful pause.
"I have a number of private papers; also the marriage certificate whichproves that I married Jack's mother. More than that, I expect soon tomeet an old college chum who knows much of the past, and who can testifyin my behalf."
"Well, on my own account and on Jack's, I feel that I must make youprove your claim, Dr. Mackey. It will be hard enough to give up the boywhen I am assured that he is really your own."
"I will not discuss the situation further," cried the doctor, movingstiffly toward the door. "But unless you wish me to take immediate stepsto take Jack from you, you must make me one promise."
"And what is that, sir?"
"That you will not spirit the boy away from this plantation, so that hecannot be brought into court when wanted."
"I will promise that. I do not wish to do anything contrary to law."
"Then that is all for the present, Mrs. Ruthven, and I will bid yougood-day."
"When do you expect to come back again?"
"As soon as my duties will permit. The Yankees are pressing us hard, andI cannot neglect my duties as a surgeon in our army."
In a moment more the doctor was gone. Mrs. Ruthven watched him out ofsight, then sank in a chair, all but overcome. Old Ben saw her and cameup, hat in hand, his honest face full of genuine grief.
"Missus, dis am de worst wot I eber did heah," he said. "De idea, datdat man wants to take our Jack away! It am dreadful!"
"Yes, Ben; I do not know how I can endure it."
"He don't look like Jack one bit; not one bit, missus!"
"I know it, Ben. He says Jack resembles his brother Walter."
"Maybe he dun nebber had a brudder Walter."
"Evidently you do not believe him?"
"No, I don't."
"Where did you meet him?"
"He cum to de boathouse, and got me to row him ober to de wrack."
"You took him there. What did he want at the wreck?"
"I dunno dat, missus. He tole me to go away fer an hour or so. He wentbelow in de wrack, out ob sight."
"Perhaps he was after something belonging to the past. Did he bringanything away with him?"
"I aint suah about dat, missus. When I rowed him ashore he had a tin boxhidden away under his coat, but he might have had dat when I took himober."
"How large a box?"
"About dis size," and Ben held out his hands.
"He wouldn't be likely to take such a box to the wreck with him. He musthave found it on the ship," went on Mrs. Ruthven, with interest.
"Where could he find it, missus? De folks around yeah has tuk everyt'ingoff dat wrack long ago."
"Perhaps not. To tell the truth, Ben, I do not like that man's manner atall."
"No more do I, missus. He's got a bad eye, he has," responded thecolored man warmly.
"If you see him again, Ben, I wish you would watch him closely."
"I will do it, missus. Yo' can trust Ole Ben."
"You may be able to learn something important."
"If I do, I'll bring de news to yo' directly, missus."
"Perhaps you had better follow him now," went on Mrs. Ruthven suddenly."If he goes to the battlefield, you can come back."
"I will, missus," and in a moment more Ben was off.
Meanwhile Marion had gone up to Jack's room and knocked on the door. Atfirst there was no answer, and the girl knocked again.
"Who is it?" came in a half-choked voice.
"It is I, Marion. Can't I come in?"
"Yes," answered Jack, and Marion entered the room and sat down besideour hero on the bed.
"Oh, Jack, I'm so sorry for you!" was all she could say.
"Marion, do you honestly think that man is my father?" he questionedanxiously.
"I don't know what to say, Jack. It's all so strange."
"If he was my father it seems to me I ought to feel differently towardhim."
"Perhaps it's the shock, Jack."
"No, it isn't. I could never love that man as a son ought to love hisfather," went on our hero impetuously.
"Hush! you mustn't talk so!"
"I can't help it. I hated that man when we met on the bridge--and--and Ihate him still!"
"Oh, J
ack!"
"It's true, Marion. I don't see why he wanted to come here. I was happyenough, with you and mother."
"He hasn't taken you away yet, Jack. Mother will make him prove hisclaim first, never fear. She feels as badly almost as do you."
"To me the whole story sounds unreasonable, Marion. If there is a bigfortune in the background, that man may only be scheming to get it."
"But, if that is true, why doesn't he ignore you and keep the money forhimself?"
"I don't know--excepting it may be that he wants me in order to make hisclaim stronger, or something like that. I don't know much about law."
"Neither do I. But if it comes to the worst, mother will get a lawyerand make that man prove everything he says."
The two talked the matter over for a while, and gradually Jack grewcalmer. But look at it from every possible light, he could not makehimself believe that Dr. Mackey was his father.
Presently Mrs. Ruthven entered the chamber and also sat down to comfortour hero.
"He is certainly a strange man," said she, referring to the surgeon. "Hewent to the wreck and was aboard alone for some time, so Old Ben tellsme."
"What did he do?"
"Ben doesn't know."
"I shall visit the wreck again before long and make a search," saidJack.
The three talked the matter over for several hours, but reached nofurther conclusions. Jack expected the doctor back the next day, but hedid not appear, nor did he show himself for some time to come. In themeantime things of great importance happened.
Young Captain Jack; Or, The Son of a Soldier Page 15