Conclusion of the Washington letter.
“Why, I think they ’d be mine. I bought the place, with all it contained,” was the answer; which was greeted, to Mr. Pierson’s amazement, with dancing and howlings of glee from the three boys and from Helen in the background.
And then Rob's wonderful “find” was displayed, and five heads pored over the letter as eagerly as had the first one.
“It surely is—a letter written by George Washington himself! You ’ve made a real discovery, Rob, and I ‘ll have to forgive you for trying to smash down my house.”
Rob’s joy, too, was soon tempered by a sad thought—the letter was n’t his: it was Uncle Bob’s. He did want to be unselfish, and rejoice simply in the pleasure of the find and in his uncle’s fine new possession; but the thought of the value of that letter to the new-fledged B. A. Society was almost too heavy on his spirit to leave any buoyancy.
How could he make his discovery tell for his pet child, the B.A.? In the excitement over his good luck, the thought of the presidency and his ambition to do something to make him eligible for election had entirely slipped from his mind, and the better and less selfish thought of the good of the society was all that remained.
Again he took to lying awake nights and spending long, solitary hours cogitating in the hammock. And finally the plan came to him. He would study up the history of the battle of Monmouth and of the later events of the Revolution involving Monmouth County, and he would write an essay on the subject of that county’s part in the struggle. In this essay he would embody the precious Washington letter, and he would print the whole thing on his own printing-press at home.
School opened on September 30, and the crowd of returning boys had a fine time comparing notes of the summer’s experiences. Wednesday evening was to see the first gathering in the headquarters. Then the seniors would have a talk over the question of what juniors should be admitted to membership, and those who had any gilts for the society saved them to bring out for the first time that night.
It was a jolly meeting, and the harvest of new