"Yes. I have it upstairs in my chamber. Wait five minutes
and I will get it for you."
A little later a small, black-covered diary was put in Luke's
hand. He opened it eagerly, and began to examine the items
jotted down. It appeared partly to note down daily expenses,
but on alternate pages there were occasional memorandums.
About the fifteenth of May appeared this sentence: "I have reason
to think that my sister, Mrs. Ellen Ransom, is now living in
Franklin, Minnesota. She is probably in poor circumstances, her
husband having died in poverty a year since. We two are all that
is left of a once large family, and now that I am shortly to retire
from business with a modest competence, I feel it will be alike my
duty and my pleasure to join her, and do what I can to make her
comfortable. She has a boy who must now be about twelve years old."
"Come," said Luke, triumphantly, "I am making progress decidedly.
My first step will be to go to Franklin, Minnesota, and
look up Mr. Harding and his sister. After all, I ought to be
grateful to Mr. Coleman, notwithstanding his attempt to rob me.
But for him I should never have come to the Ottawa House, and
thus I should have lost an important clue.
Pages:
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195