by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER IX
A MOST UNREASONABLE BROTHER
Titus Lyon dropped into his seat once more when Levi approached. Hescowled at the manager as he swept by with a bow to his employer. He hadbeen talking very loud about what was fair and right, and he could notdeny that the expense of supporting the orphans ought to be dividedamong the three brothers. According to Noah's calculation, the boot hadbeen transferred to the other leg, and he owed his brother something onthis account if the matter was to be equitably adjusted.
Titus could not gainsay the position of the planter, and he tried tochoke down his wrath; and just then he would have vented it upon theinnocent overseer if he had not flown like the wind across the bridge,making the planks dance a hornpipe under the feet of his steed. As themalcontent was silent for the want of an argument with which to combatthat of his brother, Noah went over the subject, and clinched the nailhe had driven in before.
"I'll look the thing over again when I go home, for I want to be fairand right in everything I do," said Titus, after he had sought in vainfor an argument with which he could upset the theory of Noah. "I onlyclaimed that you owed me half of the ten thousand; I didn't ask for thewhole on't."
"You never asked for even half of it before; you only told others that Iowed you that sum," replied Noah.
"Well, I believed it."
"In that case neither you nor the colonel would pay anything towards thesupport of the children for ten years, for the law would divide theproperty equally between us," replied Noah. "I can't tell exactly howthe matter stands till I figure it up; but I think you will owe mesomething if we settle it on the basis you suggest."
"I guess we'd better drop the subject till we have both looked it overagin," added Titus, utterly disgusted with the result of the argument."I don't say that Dunk hadn't a right to dispose of his property as hepleased; but jest s'pose'n he had left it all to me and gi'n younothin'--would that been right?"
"If he had had any reason for doing so, it would have been his right todo so; but I should say I should not be in condition to be an impartialjudge in the matter," said Noah with a smile.
"Did he have any reason for treating me any wus than he did you?" askedTitus sharply, as he sprang to his feet again. "Dunk wa'n't noabolitionist, and went with the folks round here on politics. He 'n' Iagreed, and never had no dispute on these things."
"I don't think the colonel did treat you any worse than he did me. Hechose to pay for supporting the orphans, though I never asked him to doso, or hinted at any such thing. We have talked that over, and nothingmore need be said about it now. I have indicated how that thing might befairly settled, and we will let it rest there."
"But I still say Dunk used me wus 'n he did you; and as a brother youare in duty bound to set me right, as you said one of the same bloodshould do."
"I don't understand you, Brother Titus; for I am not aware that thecolonel treated me any better in his will than he did you," repliedNoah, wondering what further complaint his brother could make.
"Didn't he give five thousand dollars to that cuss that just rid overthe bridge?" demanded Titus with a sort of triumphant tone and manner,as though he had the planter where no argument could avail him. "Thatwas just the same as taking twenty-five hundred dollars out of mypocket, as well as out of yours."
"But you don't bear in mind, my dear brother, that the colonel wasdisposing of his own property, and not yours or mine," said Noah with apronounced laugh at the absurdity of the other's position.
"Don't go to dearin' me, Noah; it will be time enough for that sort ofthing when you've done me justice," snarled Titus.
"When I've done you justice!" exclaimed the planter, rising from hisseat again to vent his mirth. "I must do you justice because yourbrother and mine gave Levi Bedford five thousand dollars! Must I pay youtwenty-five hundred dollars on this account?"
"I didn't say so."
"But you implied it; for you were trying to prove that the colonel usedme better than he did you. It seems to me that you ought to make yourclaim on Levi, if anybody."
"You git ahead faster'n I do. I only meant to say that Dunk didn't useme right when he gave his money to this mean whelp; but he treated youas bad as he did me, Noah."
"I have no complaint whatever to make, and I am glad the colonelremembered Levi handsomely; he deserved it, for he had always been auseful and faithful overseer," added Noah very decidedly.
"Let that rest," said Titus when he found that he made no headway in thedirection he had chosen. "I s'pose you won't agree with me, but I sayDunk ought to have left this place to me instid of you. I was his oldestbrother, and I have lived here eight years, and know all about theplantation, while you never saw it till after Dunk was dead."
"I am inclined to think the colonel knew what he was about, and he madehis will to suit himself," answered Noah.
"I should think he made it to suit you. Of course I know it's law, butit wa'n't right," growled Titus.
"If you think it was not right, why don't you contest the will, and haveit set aside?"
"Don't I say it was law; and I suppose it can't be helped now," and theinjured man tried to put on an air of resignation. "But I ain't done."
"I should say you had said enough; for there seems to be no foundationfor any of your complaints. I think the colonel meant to be fair andjust, and make an equal distribution of his property between you and me.Taking out fifteen thousand dollars he gave to charity and hisfriends"--
"That was giving away what belonged to you and me," interposed theobjector.
"You are as unreasonable as a pig in a cornfield, Brother Titus!"exclaimed Noah, whose abundant patience was on the verge of exhaustion."Duncan was giving away his own property, and not yours or mine, as youappear to think he was, especially yours; for I believe he did justright. Taking out the fifteen thousand and the ten he paid for thesupport of the orphans,--which I suppose you mean to have settled up inanother way,--there was seventy-five thousand dollars left, which hedivided equally among his brothers and the representatives of the onewho died over ten years ago. That is according to the valuation annexedto the will."
"It's mighty strange, Noah, that you can't see nothin' when it's p'intedout to you," stormed Titus, his wrath rising to the boiling point at hisrepeated defeats; for, "though vanquished, he could argue still."
"I don't believe at all in your pointing, Brother Titus."
"You talk about that valuation; but it was a fraud, and it was meant tocheat me out of eight or ten thousand dollars!" roared the malcontent,gesticulating violently. "It ought to been thirty thousand dollarsmore'n 'twas! I say it out loud; and I know what I'm talkin' about!"
"I don't think you do, Brother Titus. I think you had better stopdrinking whiskey for a week, and then we can talk this subject over moresatisfactorily."
"Do you mean to accuse me of bein' drunk, Noah Lyon?" demanded Titus,shaking his fist in the face of his brother; and at this moment thatcolt was dashing over the bridge at a dead run, with Levi on his back.
"I don't think you are drunk, Brother Titus, as tipplers understand theword, but you are under the influence of liquor, and it affects yourjudgment," replied Noah as gently as though he had been speaking in aprayer-meeting.
"Then you mean that I _am_ drunk!"
"THEN YOU MEAN I AM DRUNK."]
Both of his fists were clinched, and he was shaking one in the face ofthe planter, when the bay colt dashed in between them, Noah falling backbefore the menacing demonstration of Titus. Levi had dismounted at theend of the bridge, and seated himself in the arbor where he could stillsee the two men. When Titus shook his fist in the face of the planter,he leaped upon the colt as though he had been fifty pounds lighter, andgalloped to the scene of the wordy contest.
"What do you want here?" demanded the visitor, with a very unnecessaryexpletive.
"What is it, Levi?" asked Noah.
"I didn't know but you might want me," replied the manager; but thedemonstrative person was his emp
loyer's brother, and he refrained fromusing the strong language that came to his tongue's end.
"I don't want you for anything just now, Levi," replied the planter,sorry that there should have been a witness to the stormy interview withhis brother; and he wondered if he had not been too plain-spoken, mildand dignified as he had been.
"What do you mean, you scoundrel, by stickin' your nose in where you'renot wanted?" demanded Titus savagely, as he shook his fist, relievedfrom duty before the planter, in the direction of the overseer.
Levi wheeled his horse so that he crowded the angry man out of hisplace, and made him spring to keep out of the way of the fiery animal;but he made no reply to the abuse cast upon him. Noah nodded his head inthe direction of the mansion, and the manager rode off, though it wasevident to his employer that he was itching to lay hands on theturbulent visitor.
"I hate that villain!" gasped Titus.
"And he despises you as thoroughly as you hate him; so there is no lovelost. But I think you had better conduct yourself a little morepeaceably, Titus; for I do not like to have the people on the plantationsee that there is any difficulty between us, for we are brothers, I wishyou to remember. Perhaps we had better drop the subject where it is, forit is almost suppertime," said Noah with the most conciliatory tone andmanner.
"Not jest yet," returned Titus warmly. "I said that valuation was afraud, meant to cheat me out of my rightful due; and you told me I wasdrunk, which ain't no kind of an argument."
"I did not say that exactly; but if it was an argument for anything, itwas that we should talk this matter over some time when you had notdrunk anything."
"I drink something everyday; and I have a perfect right to do so."
"I don't dispute it."
"Dunk gave you all the niggers, and did not put them in the valuation.Wasn't that cheating me out of my share of the thirty thousand theywould bring even in these shaky times?"
"I don't think it was. I repeat that the colonel had a perfect right,just as good a right as you have to drink whiskey, though I don't do so,to dispose of his property as he pleased," added Noah, looking down atthe planks of the bridge, and remaining for a minute in deep thought.
"That ain't no argument!" blustered Titus. "The law gives a man'sproperty to his brothers and sisters when he leaves no parents orchildren; and every honest and just man does the same thing."
"I did not mean to say anything to anybody about the servants on theplace; but I feel obliged to speak to you about them so far as to tellthe facts relating to them," said Noah when he had come to thisconclusion.
"I cal'late you better speak out if you've got anything to say, or elsepay me over fifteen thousand dollars for my share in the value of themniggers," replied Titus with a triumphant air, for he believed he hadgained a point.
"When I was at Colonel Cosgrove's house on the day of our arrival, hehanded me a letter, heavily sealed with red wax, from our deceasedbrother. This letter contained another. I have both of these letters inthe safe in the library. Now, if you will go to the house with me, Iwill show you both of these letters," continued the planter,disregarding the tone and manner of his irate brother.
Titus was curious to know what the colonel had to say in defence of hisconduct, and he assented to the visit to the library. Noah produced thetwo letters, handing the opened one to his brother, and showing theheavily sealed one to him but not permitting it to pass out of hishands. The malcontent read the opened one.
"Not to sell one of the niggers for five years!" he exclaimed when hehad finished it. "That is another outrage! And you are not to open thatother letter for the same time. Give it to me, Noah, and I will open itnow!"
"It shall not be opened till the five years have expired," answered theplanter firmly, as he returned both of the epistles to the safe andlocked the door of it.
Titus was more violent than ever, for he had been defeated in his lastand most promising stronghold, as he regarded it. He stormed like amadman, and kept it up for nearly an hour. He made so much noise thatMrs. Noah knocked at the door to learn what was the matter. At the sametime she called them to supper; but Titus was so angry that he rushedout of the house, called for his team, and left with his wife at once.