On the third day, while I was still studying
the matter, and making no progress, Rucker himself came into the tavern,
with his neck bandaged and his head on one side, and in his best
clothes; and sitting on the edge of his chair between me and the door,
as if ready to take wing at any hostile movement on my part, he broached
the subject of my share in my mother's estate.
"I want to deal with you," said he in that dangerous whine of his, "as
with my own son, Jacob, my own son."
There was nothing to say to this, and I said nothing. I only looked at
him. He was studying me closely, but had never taken pains to learn my
peculiarities when I lived with him, and had to study a total stranger,
and a person who was too old to be treated as a child, but who at the
same time must be very green in money matters. I was a puzzle to him,
and my lack of words made me still more of a problem.
"You know, of course," he finally volunteered, "that the estate when it
was finally wound up had mostly been eaten up by court expenses and
lawyers' fees--the robbers!"
I could see he was in earnest in this last remark: but of course
lawyers' fees and court expenses were all a mystery to me. I did not
even know that lawyers and courts had anything to do with estates. I did
not know what an estate was--so I continued to keep still.
"There was hardly anything left," said he.
I was astonished at this; and I did not believe it. After thinking it
over for a few minutes, earnestly, and without any thought of saying
anything to catch him up, I said: "You traveled in good style coming
west on the canal.
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