Chapter IX
Drusilla waited several days for the return of the money that she had loaned her visitor from Adams, and when it did not come she was prevailed upon to write to the son of her old friend, Dr. Friedman, asking him regarding the man. The doctor answered that there was no man by the name of John Gleason in Adams; that the Spring Valley Stock Farm was owned by a man named Gleason who had no brother; and that this particular man had never lived in the small village, where every one was known. Drusilla was thoroughly aroused. It was her first experience with a confidence man. It hurt her pride, as she had said; but it hurt her worse to know that people did such things.
"It jest destroys my belief in human natur', and I'll never trust no one again," she said to John.
It was only about a week after the receipt of the letter from the doctor, when she was still smarting from her wounded feelings, that she was told a clergyman wanted to see her personally. She found a quiet little man, dressed in black. "Miss Doane," he said with a smile, "I am the Presbyterian clergyman from Adams, your old home, and as I was in town I thought I would come to see you." Suspicion jumped into Drusilla's old eyes.
"Won't you set down?" she said, rather coldly for her.
The stranger sat down.
"Did you take the place of old Dr. Smith?" Drusilla asked.
"Yes; he's had another call, to a higher land"--motioning upward-- "and I have his charge."
The man chatted very intelligently regarding the people in Adams, and Drusilla began to thaw. She forgot her other visitor in her enjoyment of hearing the names of the people in her old church.
"Miss Doane," the clergyman said finally, "we are in a little trouble in our church, and I thought that you might help us."
Drusilla stiffened at once.
"What can I do?" she asked.
"We are trying to start a little fund to take care of some poor children of our parish, and as it is very hard to raise money in our little village, I thought you might be willing to head our subscription. I thought it better to come and see you personally instead of writing you."
Drusilla looked at him a moment and then rose.
"Will you excuse me a minute?" she said politely, and left the room.
She went directly to the butler.
"James, telephone for the police. There's another man in there from Adams and I want him arrested."
She left the astonished James to carry out her orders, and returned to the room. "You say you have some children in Adams without homes?"
"Not exactly without homes, but they are dependent upon the town for support. An Irish family moved in and the father died and the mother is ill, and we want part of the fund to help the family until the mother is able to support her little family of six. We want to keep them together--instead of putting them in asylums and separating them. And there are two children who have lost both parents--at least the mother is dead and the father cannot be found--and we must take care of them. They are too small to work and we thought we could get some one to take them by paying a small sum per week and--"
He quite likely would have enumerated the rest of the charges of his parish if there had not been a discreet knock at the door, immediately followed by James, announcing:
"The men you asked for, ma'am."
Drusilla rose as the two police officers entered the room. She said, pointing to the astonished clergyman, "I want you to arrest this man. He is a confidence man."
"What--what--" sputtered the clergyman.
"I want you to take him to the police station," said Drusilla firmly.
"Do you make a charge, ma'am?" asked one of the officers.
"Yes. I don't know what it is, but I make it. Take him to jail."
"But--but--" said the bewildered clergyman, "this is an outrage!"
"I don't care what it is, you go to jail. I promised the doctor I'd arrest the next man who tried to git money from me by saying he was from Adams. I don't believe you're a preacher; you don't look like one."
The officers went up to the man, who was evidently struggling with emotion, trying to find some suitable words to express his surprise and anger.
"Come along with me," said the officer gruffly. "Don't make no fuss; it won't go."
They put their hands on his arms and he struggled.
"Take your hands off of me! What do you mean? I tell you, I'm the Reverend Algernon Thompson, of Adams."
"Don't you believe nothin' he says," insisted Drusilla. "Whoever heard of a name Algernon! He looks much worse'n the other man that was here. Just you take him along."
Drusilla looked scornfully at the man, who was struggling with the officers. They led him to the door, where he again refused to go, and the policemen took him roughly by the shoulders and pushed him into the hall. He struggled wildly, and his face became convulsed as he turned to Drusilla.
"I tell you I'm the Reverend Algernon Thompson; and this is an outrage--an outrage--"
The officers shook him roughly.
"Oh, can the hot air. We're used to your kind. Come along."
And the last Drusilla could hear was the wail of the clergyman: "I tell you I am the Reverend Algernon Thompson--"
After the noise had subsided and Drusilla knew the man was gone she went slowly upstairs to find John. He looked up from the book he was reading and said quickly as he saw her flushed face:
"What is it, Drusilla. Has something upset you?"
Drusilla sat down wearily in a chair.
"Oh, John, it was another man from Adams. He said he was a preacher this time, and I had him arrested. It's upset me awful. Ring for William; I believe I'll take a glass of wine. I don't believe in spirits, but St. Paul says there's a time for everything, and this is the time."
Drusilla was silent as she sipped the wine; then finally she looked up at John wistfully:
"John, do you think I'd ought to 'a' done it?"
"Certainly, Drusilla. The doctor told you to have any one arrested who asked you for money, claiming to be from your old home. He said you mustn't get the reputation of being easy, or you'd be bothered to death."
"Yes, I know; but then--“
"You did just right, Drusilla; so don't worry."
Drusilla sighed.
"I hate to do it, but I suppose I must. He didn't look a bit like a preacher, and he said his name