The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-09-22
THE CANCELLED DEBT.

"See. Vincent, I found this memo
randum among package of grandma's
letters. 1t must have gotten there by
accident"
Vincent Tracy took the paper, yel'
loved by age, and glanced over it.
Then he handed it back to his sister,
saying:
"It was just like grandmother. When
she did good it was always in that un-
ostentatious way. Her right hand never
knew what her left had given forth.
wish we might find friend like her."
1850 do l." said Gertrude, with
sober look on her pretty face. How
little she thought that even the sum
mentioned in this holding up the
family traced lines and running her eye
over them mechanically" would be
comparative fortune to u.s."
81 am glad the kind old soul was
taken home before the losses came. We
are young and can bear disappoint-
ment, and can struggle to make our
own way in the world. But our grand
mother would have felt the difference
keenly."
81 dou't quite understand how such
q large fortune could melt so suddenly.
Do Won. Vincent? Has some enc
cheated us p
-"NU, Geriie. 1t was all because of
the wav the money was invested. Lawyer
Grey advised that it should be taken
from the bank and put into insurance
stock. Then came those fires in Chicago,
and afterward in Boston, and some of
the best companies burst up. Our
money went with them. Say, Gertrude"
as thought struck him, "let us try
and find who it was that grandmother
meant by those initials. If he was smart
he may have made fortune out of her
loan, and might be willing to give us
back what be borrowed. Four thousand
dollars would just enable me to finish
my law studies, and would give you the
last year at madam's. Then we'd both
have our diplomas, and might shake
our fists in the face of the world before
We began to wrest our living from it."
Gertrude smiled at Vincent's boyish
speech, as she said, quietly:
"Wouldn't it be better to coax for
tune instead of to drive her ?"
"That depends on circumstances.
Women, of course, have to be silky and
smooth-faced to get along"
"And men have to ape their boards,
and be rough. Is that the idea, brother
mineP'
Vincent laughed. "That's it, sis,
exactly. But let me have anotherlook at
that paper"
He took it in his hand and read aloud
"Lent B. V. u. to-day four thousand
dollars, which / drew from the bank for
that purpose. I did not require note,
as 1 am old and may be called suddenly,
and would not press him for payment
until ready to make it. 1 have perfect
confidence in his honesty, and am sure
he will return it at some future time, if
possible. If not, and his previous bad
fortune follows him in his new venture
he is about to make, can afford to lose
the money, and he is welcome to it."
The date appended was twenty years
previous, and as Vincent was only
eighteen, while his sister was two years
younger, the loan had been made pre-
vious to their births.
Mrs. Graham's only daughter had
married and gone with her husband to
India. Ten years had elapsed before
children had been given to her arms,
and so at the time the memoranda bore
date there was every prospect that the
race would die out with Mrs. Tracy.
eff grandmother had known that she
was to have us to leave her money to,
she would have been more careful of it.
Don't you think so, Gertie?"
: ,"I don't know" answered Gertrude,
thoughtfully. "At any rate, 1 am glad
she did as she did. I'm sure she had
treasures laid up in the right place."
Vincent's eyes" was an absent
minded one. He was in brown study
about something. Then he said
"Sis, you are very handy in COM
posing. Now you just put your wits
to work, and write an article relating to
this-a sort of blind one, you know.
Say that if B. V. H., or his heirs are
living, they will hear of something to
their advantage by communicating with
V. T. No; with the heirs of B. O.
"You mistake. Vincent. 1t would
be to our advantage"
"Don't interrupt" said Vincent,
loftily. 81 look at it from the higher
plane. Isn't it purer pleasure to pay a
4 just debt than to feel that perhaps one
has defrauded an orphan?"
, "But If one knows nothing about it Z
III the person grandma loaned il to Is
dead, would his children feel glad 10
hear of such large debt? You know
that it was twenty years ago that this
happened"
Vincent looked slightly discomfited
at this view Of the subject,