Jennie Gerhardt - Драйзер Теодор (книги без регистрации бесплатно полностью сокращений .txt) 📗

properties, real, personal, moneys, stocks and bonds, to be held in trust by him for the benefit of his brother Lester, until such time as such

conditions as may hereinafter be set forth shall have been complied with.

And it is my wish and desire that my children shall concur in his direction of the Kane Manufacturing Company, and of such other interests as are

entrusted to him, until such time as he shall voluntarily relinquish such control, or shall indicate another arrangement which shall be better."

Lester swore under his breath. His cheeks changed colour, but he did not

move. He was not inclined to make a show. It appeared that he was not

even mentioned separately.

The conditions "hereinafter set forth" dealt very fully with his case, however, though they were not read aloud to the family at the time, Mr.

O'Brien stating that this was in accordance with their father's wish. Lester learned immediately afterward that he was to have ten thousand a year for three years, during which time he had the choice of doing either one of

two things: First, he was to leave Jennie, if he had not already married

her, and so bring his life into moral conformity with the wishes of his

father. In this event Lester's share of the estate was to be immediately

turned over to him. Secondly, he might elect to marry Jennie, if he had

not already done so, in which case the ten thousand a year, specifically set aside to him for three years, was to be continued for life—but for his life only. Jennie was not to have anything of it after his death. The ten

thousand in question represented the annual interest on two hundred

shares of L.S. and M.S. stock which were also to be held in trust until his decision had been reached and their final disposition effected. If Lester refused to marry Jennie, or to leave her, he was to have nothing at all after the three years were up. At Lester's death the stock on which his interest was drawn was to be divided pro rata among the surviving members of

the family. If any heir or assign contested the will, his or her share was thereby forfeited entirely.

It was astonishing to Lester to see how thoroughly his father had taken

his case into consideration. He half suspected, on reading these

conditions, that his brother Robert had had something to do with the

framing of them, but of course he could not be sure. Robert had not given any direct evidence of enmity.

"Who drew this will?" he demanded of O'Brien, a little later.

"Well, we all had a hand in it," replied O'Brien, a little shamefacedly. "It was a very difficult document to draw up. You know, Mr. Kane, there was

no budging your father. He was adamant. He has come very near

defeating his own wishes in some of these clauses. Of course, you know,

we had nothing to do with its spirit. That was between you and him. I

hated very much to have to do it."

"Oh, I understand all that!" said Lester. "Don't let that worry you."

Mr. O'Brien was very grateful.

During the reading of the will Lester had sat as stolid as an ox.

He got up after a time, as did the others, assuming an air of nonchalance.

Robert, Amy, Louise and Imogene all felt shocked, but not exactly, not

unqualifiedly regretful. Certainly Lester had acted very badly. He had

given his father great provocation.

"I think the old gentleman has been a little rough in this," said Robert, who had been sitting next him. "I certainly did not expect him to go as far as that. So far as I am concerned some other arrangement would have

been satisfactory."

Lester smiled grimly. "It doesn't matter," he said.

Imogene, Amy, and Louise were anxious to be consolatory, but they did

not know what to say. Lester had brought it all on himself. "I don't think papa acted quite right, Lester," ventured Amy, but Lester waved her away almost gruffly.

"I can stand it," he said.

He figured out, as he stood there, what his income would be in case he

refused to comply with his father's wishes. Two hundred shares of L.S.

and M.S., in open market, were worth a little over one thousand each.

They yielded from five to six per cent., sometimes more, sometimes less.

At this rate he would have ten thousand a year, not more.

The family gathering broke up, each going his way, and Lester returned to his sister's house. He wanted to get out of the city quickly, gave business as an excuse to avoid lunching with any one, and caught the earliest train back to Chicago. As he rode he meditated.

So this was how much his father really cared for him! Could it really be

so? He, Lester Kane, ten thousand a year, for only three years, and then

longer only on condition that he married Jennie! "Ten thousand a year,"

he thought, "and that for three years! Good Lord! Any smart clerk can earn that. To think he should have done that to me!"

CHAPTER XLIII

This attempt at coercion was the one thing which would definitely set

Lester in opposition to his family, at least for the time being. He had

realised clearly enough of late that he had made a big mistake; first in not having married Jennie, thus avoiding scandal; and in the second place in

not having accepted her proposition at the time when she wanted to leave

him. There were no two ways about it, he had made a mess of this

business. He could not afford to lose his fortune entirely. He did not have enough money of his own. Jennie was unhappy, he could see that. Why

shouldn't she be? He was unhappy. Did he want to accept the shabby ten

thousand a year, even if he were willing to marry her? Finally, did he

want to lose Jennie, to have her go out of his life once and for all? He

could not make up his mind; the problem was too complicated.

When Lester returned to his home, after the funeral, Jennie saw at once

that something was amiss with him, something beyond a son's natural

grief for his father's death was weighing upon his spirits. What was it, she wondered. She tried to draw near to him sympathetically, but his

wounded spirit could not be healed so easily. When hurt in his pride he

was savage and sullen—he could have struck any man who irritated him.

She watched him interestedly, wishing to do something for him, but he

would not give her his confidence. He grieved, and she could only grieve

with him.

Days passed, and now the financial situation which had been created by

his father's death came up for careful consideration. The factory

management had to be reorganised. Robert would have to be made

president, as his father wished. Lester's own relationship to the business would have to come up for adjudication. Unless he changed his mind

about Jennie, he was not a stockholder. As a matter of fact, he was not

anything. To continue to be secretary and treasurer, it was necessary that he should own at least one share of the company's stock. Would Robert

give him any? Would Amy, Louise, or Imogene? Would they sell him

any? Would the other members of the family care to do anything which

would infringe on Robert's prerogatives under the will? They were all

rather unfriendly to Lester at present, and he realised that he was facing a ticklish situation. The solution was—to get rid of Jennie. If he did that he would not need to be begging for stock. If he didn't, he was flying in the face of his father's last will and testament. He turned the matter over in his mind slowly and deliberately. He could quite see how things were