University of Virginia Library

10. CHAPTER X.
PLAUSABY, ESQ., TAKES A FATHERLY INTEREST.

PLAUSABY, Esq., felt a fatherly interest. He
said so. He wanted Albert to make his way
in the world. “You have great gifts, Albert,” he
said. But the smoother Mr. Plausaby talked, the
rougher Mr. Albert felt. Mr. Plausaby felt the weight
of all that Albert had said against the learned professions. He
did, indeed. He would not care to say it so strongly. Not
too strongly. Old men never spoke quite so strongly as young
ones. But the time had been, he said, when Thomas Plausaby's
pulse beat as quick and strong as any other young man's. Virtuous
indignation was a beautiful emotion in a young man.
For his part he never cared much for a young man who did
not know how to show just such feeling on such questions.
But one must not carry it too far. Not too far. Never too
far. For his part he did not like to see anything carried too
far. It was always bad to carry a thing too far. A man had
to make his bread somehow. It was a necessity. Every young
man must consider that he had his way to make in the world.
It was a fact to be considered. To be considered carefully.

He would recommend that Albert consider it. And consider
it carefully. Albert must make his way. For his part, he
had a plan in view that he thought could not be objectionable
to Albert's feelings. Not at all objectionable. Not in the least.

All this Plausaby, Esq., oozed out at proper intervals and in
gentlest tones. Charlton for his mother's sake kept still, and
reflected that Mr. Plausaby had not said a word as yet that
ought to anger him. He therefore nodded his head and waited
to hear the plan which Plausaby had concocted for him.

Mr. Plausaby proceeded to state that he thought Albert
ought to pre-empt.

Albert said that he would like to pre-empt as soon as he
should be of age, but that was some weeks off yet, and he supposed
that when he got ready there would be few good claims left.

The matter of age was easily got over, replied Plausaby.
Quite easily got over. Nothing easier, indeed. All the young
men in the Territory who were over nineteen had pre-empted.
It was customary. Quite customary, indeed. And custom was
law. In some sense it was law. Of course there were some
customs in regard to pre-emption that Plausaby thought no
good man could approve. Not at all. Not in the least.
There was the building of a house on wheels and hauling it
from claim to claim, and swearing it in on each claim as a
house on that claim. Plausaby, Esq., did not approve of that.
Not at all. Not in the least. He thought it a dangerous precedent.
Quite dangerous. Quite so. But good men did it.
Very good men, indeed. And then he had known men to
swear that there was glass in the window of a house when
there was only a whisky-bottle sitting in the window. It was
amusing. Quite amusing, these devices. Four men just over

in Town 21 had built a house on the corners of four quarter
sections. The house partly on each of the four claims. Swore
that house in on each claim. But such expedients were not
to be approved. Not at all. They were not commendable.
However, nearly all the claims in the Territory had been made
irregularly. Nearly all of them. And the matter of age could
be gotten over easily. Custom made law. And Albert was
twenty-three in looks. Quite twenty-three. More than that,
indeed. Twenty-five, perhaps. Some people were men at sixteen.
And some were always men. They were, indeed. Always
men. Always. Albert was a man in intellect. Quite a man.
The spirit of the law was the thing to be looked at. The
spirit, not the letter. Not the letter at all. The spirit of the
law warranted Albert in pre-empting.

Here Plausaby, Esq., stopped a minute. But Albert said
nothing. He detested Plausaby's ethics, but was not insensible
to his flattery.

“And as for a claim, Albert, I will attend to that. I will
see to it. I know a good chance for you to make two thousand
dollars fairly in a month. A very good chance. Very good,
indeed. There is a claim adjoining this town-site which was
filed on by a stage-driver. Reckless sort of a fellow. Disreputable.
We don't want him to hold land here. Not at all.
You would be a great addition to us. You would indeed. A
great addition. A valuable addition to the town. And it would
be a great comfort to your mother and to me to have you
near us. It would indeed. A great comfort. We could secure
this Whisky Jim's claim very easily for you, and you could lay
it off into town lots. I have used my pre-emption right, or I
would take that myself. I advise you to secure it. I do, indeed.

You couldn't use your pre-emption right to a better
advantage. I am sure you couldn't.”

“Well,” said Albert, “if Whisky Jim will sell out, why not
get him to hold it for me for three weeks until I am of age?”

“He wouldn't sell, but he has forfeited it. He neglected to
stay on it. Has been away from it more than thirty days. You
have a perfect right to jump it and pre-empt it. I am well
acquainted with Mr. Shamberson, the brother-in-law of the receiver.
Very well acquainted. He is a land-office lawyer, and
they do say that a fee of fifty dollars to him will put the case
through, right or wrong. But in this case we should have
right on our side, and should make a nice thing. A very nice
thing, indeed. And the town would be relieved of a dissipated
man, and you could then carry out your plan of establishing a
village library here.”

“But,” said Albert between his teeth, “I hear that the reason
Jim didn't come back to take possession of his claim at
the end of his thirty days is his sickness. He's sick at the Sod
Tavern.”

“Well, you see, he oughtn't to have neglected his claim so
long before he was taken sick. Not at all. Besides, he doesn't
add anything to the moral character of a town. I value the
moral character of a settler above all. I do, indeed. The moral
character. If he gets that claim, he'll get rich off my labors,
and be one of our leading citizens. Quite a leading citizen. It
is better that you should have it. A great deal better. Better
all round. The depot will be on one corner of the east forty
of that claim, probably. Now, you shouldn't neglect your
chance to get on. You shouldn't, really. This is the road to
wealth and influence. The road to wealth. And influence

You can found your school there. You'll have money and
land. Money to build with. Land on which to build. You
will have both.”

“You want me to swear that I am twenty-one when I am
not, to bribe the receiver, and to take a claim and all the improvements
on it from a sick man?” said Albert with heat.

“You put things wrong. Quite so. I want to help you to
start. The claim is now open. It belongs to Government, with
all improvements. Improvements go with the claim. If you
don't take it, somebody will. It is a pity for you to throw
away your chances.”

“My chances of being a perjured villain and a thief! No,
thank you, sir,” said the choleric Charlton, getting very red in
the face, and stalking out of the room.

“Such notions!” cried his mother. “Just like his father
over again. His father threw away all his chances just for
notions. I tell you, Plausaby, he never got any of those
notions from me. Not one.”

“No, I don't think he did,” said Plausaby. “I don't think
he did. Not at all. Not in the least.”