Chapter 39 Luke Walton's Letter

 "Here is a letter for you, Luke!" said Mrs. Walton.

 

Luke took it in his hand, and regarded it curiously¹. He was not in the habit of receiving letters.

 

"It is postmarked Milwaukee," he said.

 

"Do you know anyone in Milwaukee?" asked his mother.

 

"No; or stay, it must be from Mr. Powell, a brother of Mrs. Tracy."

 

"Probably he sends a message to his sister."

 

By this time Luke had opened the following letter, which he read with great surprise and excitement:

 

DEAR LUKE:--Come to Milwaukee as soon as you can, and join me at the Prairie Hotel. I write in your own interest. There is a large sum due to your father, which I may be able to put you in the way of collecting. You had better see Aunt Eliza, and ask leave of absence for a day or two. If you haven't money enough to come on, let her know, and I am sure she will advance it to you.

 

Your friend,

 

WARNER POWELL.

 

 

 

"What can it mean?" asked Mrs. Walton, to whom Luke read the letter.

 

"It must refer to the ten thousand dollars which father sent to us on his dying bed."

 

"If it were only so!" said the widow, clasping² her hands.

 

"At any rate, I shall soon find out, mother. I had better take the letter which was sent us, giving us the first information of the legacy³."

 

"Very well, Luke! I don't know anything about business. I must leave the matter entirely⁴ in your hands.

 

"I will go at once to Mrs. Merton and ask if it will inconvenience her if I go away for a couple of days."

 

"Do so, Luke! She is a kind friend, and you should do nothing without her permission."

 

Luke took the cars for Prairie Avenue, though it was afternoon, and he had been there once already. He was shown immediately into the old lady's presence.

 

Mrs. Merton saw him enter with surprise.

 

"Has anything happened, Luke?" she asked.

 

"I have received a letter from your nephew, summoning⁵ me to Milwaukee."

 

"I hope he is not in any scrape."

 

"No; it is a very friendly letter, written in my interest. May I read it to you?"

 

"I shall be glad to hear it."

 

Mrs. Merton settled herself back in her rocking-chair, and listened to the reading of the letter.

 

"Do you know what this refers to, Luke?" she asked.

 

"Yes; my father on his deathbed in California intrusted a stranger with ten thousand dollars to bring to my mother. He kept it for his own use, and it was only by an accident that we heard about the matter."

 

"You interest me, Luke. What was the accident?"

 

Luke explained.

 

"It must be this that Mr. Powell refers to," he added.

 

"But I don't see how my nephew should have anything to do with it."

 

"There is a man in Milwaukee who answers the description of the stranger to whom my poor father intrusted his money. I have seen him, for he often comes to Chicago. I have even spoken to him."

 

"Have you ever taxed him with this breach⁶ of trust?"

 

"No, for he bears a different name. He is Thomas Browning, while the letter mentions Thomas Butler."

 

"He may have changed his name."

 

"I was stupid not to think of that before. There can hardly be two men so singularly alike. I have come to ask you, Mrs. Merton, if you can spare me for two or three days."

 

"For as long as you like, Luke," said the old lady, promptly⁷. "Have you any money for your traveling expenses?"

 

"Yes, thank you."

 

"No matter. Here are twenty dollars. Money never comes amiss."

 

"You are always kind to me, Mrs. Merton," said Luke, gratefully.

 

"It is easy to be kind if one is rich. I want to see that man punished. Let me give you one piece of advice. Be on your guard with this man! He is not to be trusted."

 

"Thank you! I am sure your advice is good."

 

"I wish you good luck, Luke. However things may turn out, there is one thing that gratifies me. Warner is showing himself your friend. I have looked upon him till recently as a black sheep, but he is redeeming⁸ himself rapidly in my eyes. I shall not forget his kindness to you."

 

As Luke went downstairs he met Mrs. Tracy.

 

"Here again!" said she, coldly. "Did my aunt send for you this afternoon?"

 

"No, madam."

 

"Then you should not have intruded⁹. You are young, but you are very artful. I see through your schemes, you may rest assured."

 

"I wished to show Mrs. Merton a letter from your brother, now in Milwaukee," said Luke.

 

"Oh, that's it, is it? Let me see the letter."

 

"I must refer you to Mrs. Merton."

 

"He has probably sent to Aunt Eliza for some money," thought Mrs. Tracy. "He and the boy are well matched."

1 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

2 clasping   

抱紧( clasp的现在分词 )； 紧紧拥抱； 握紧； 攥紧

参考例句：

• The thief was clasping a knife in his left hand. 盗贼左手握着一把刀。
• He had slumped to his knees, almost paralysed, clasping the stricken elbow with his other hand. 他瘫了下来，一只手捧着那条挨了一棍的手肘，几乎要跪倒在地。 来自英汉文学

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

5 summoning   

传唤( summon的现在分词 )； 召唤； 传讯（出庭）； 鼓起（勇气）

参考例句：

• The sudden summoning of the Cabinet underlines the seriousness of the situation. 内阁会议的突然召开，突出了局势的严重性。
• Summoning all his courage, he crossed to Broadway and up to the Broadway Central hotel. 他鼓足勇气，来到百老汇大街，朝百老汇中央旅馆走去。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

6 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

7 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

8 redeeming   

补偿的，弥补的

参考例句：

• I found him thoroughly unpleasant, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. 我觉得他一点也不讨人喜欢，没有任何可取之处。
• The sole redeeming feature of this job is the salary. 这份工作唯其薪水尚可弥补一切之不足。

9 intruded   

n.侵入的，推进的v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的过去式和过去分词 )；把…强加于

参考例句：

• One could believe that human creatures had never intruded there before. 你简直会以为那是从来没有人到过的地方。 来自辞典例句
• The speaker intruded a thin smile into his seriousness. 演说人严肃的脸上掠过一丝笑影。 来自辞典例句