The Putnam Hall Encampment; or, The Secret of the Old Mill
John Stuart Mill · en
“Don’t you want to read that will over and see if it is really in favor
of your mother?” asked Dale.
“Yes.”
A light was made, and all of the boys looked over the document with
care. The will left small sums of money to various servants and
employees and then the bulk of the Robertson estate went to Bert’s
mother and her heirs—the only heir now being Bert himself.
“I’ll tell you what I would advise,” said Jack. “You come to camp with
us, Bert. You can sleep with me. In the morning we’ll lay this whole
matter before Captain Putnam and ask his advice. I am sure he will tell
you what is best to do.”
“I ought to have Jabez Trask arrested.”
“Perhaps. But it will be punishment enough for that miser if he has to
let go his hold on the property.”
Bert agreed to follow the advice of the young major, and before long
they reached the camp, and Jack took the strange lad to his tent with
him, and gave him the use of a vacant cot.
It was certainly a meeting of importance that occurred in Captain
Putnam’s headquarters the next morning, after breakfast and drill. Bert
told his story in full, and the cadets had their say, and then the will
and the other documents were brought forth and looked over with care.
“What you need is a good lawyer,” said the master of the school to Bert.
“This Jabez Trask is undoubtedly a scheming rascal who will do all in
his power to keep you out of your own. If you wish I’ll take you to
Rochester and introduce you to a legal gentleman who will take care of
all your interests and have the courts mete out to Trask the punishment
he deserves.”
This suited Bert, and the journey to Rochester was taken the next day,
Jack and Pepper accompanying the captain and the Robertson heir. A long
conference with a first-class lawyer was held, and immediate steps were
taken to place Bert in possession of his own.
When efforts to locate Jabez Trask were made there was a surprise. The
miser had closed up his mansion and fled. Nor could the two men, Vidder
and Jepson, be found.
“It is evidence of their guilt,” said the lawyer to Bert. “I do not
think you will have any difficulty in establishing your claim to the
fortune.” And the legal gentleman was right. Bert obtained the fortune
with but little trouble, and he was correspondingly happy. The courts
appointed a well-known business man of Ithaca as his guardian, and this
guardian told Bert the best thing he could do would be to go to some
first-class school and finish his education.
“That is just what I want to do,” said Bert. “And the school I want to
go to is Putnam Hall.”
“A good selection,” was his guardian’s reply. “A fine school.”
“And one in which I have some warm friends,” added Bert earnestly.
Bert’s coming to Putnam Hall pleased Jack and his chums, and they gave
him a royal welcome. Before this time the repairs to the school building
were finished, and the encampment at Lake Caboy came to an end.
“Well, we had a dandy time camping out,” said Jack to his chums.