The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-12
A SAFE DEPOSIT.
By REV. E. EVERETT HALE, D. D.
Copyright. All rights reserved
CHAPTER l.

CHAPTER /.
Antony Blake left the Office Of Rumrill
e. Co a good deal disappointed. He was
himself q shrewd and intelligent fellow.
He had secured the patents on his new in
vention, and was ready to proceed with
the manufacture BE had carried the pa
pers. tho drawings, his model machine to
Rumrill Sc Co.. and they had them in con-
siderstion. They now offered him $500 for
the whole thing II he would turn it ali over
20 them. He had proposed one and an
other scheme by which he should 20 into
business as a partner with them. These
had been referred by the managing partner
20 the Mr.. Jorkins behind the scene, who
was an imaginary person created for the
purpose of saying no when the managing
partner was ashamed to. Practically all
these schemes had been refused, and An
tony was now to take the $500 or nothing.
This was not his first experie nee in such
business. He knew by this time THAI the
people who bring things before the public,
be they inventions, be they books or be
they ideas, generally expect to be well paid
for doing so, and he knew that the system
of cooperation, which people are hoping
for and praying for, was by no means yet
established. With some bitterness Of feel
ing, it must be confessed, though he was
good natured fellow enough, he walked
down the street Of Tamworth considering
whether he would take the $500 and be
done with it, or whether he would 20 to
Pittsburg and see if there were better
chances there.
Antony Blake did not believe in debt.
and he knew how to live on a very little
money, but for all that he had very little
money in store, and he certainly did not
have the $4,000 which would be necessary
for him if be were TO equip little machine
shop of his own and make his own auto
matte car coupler. But, as 1t happened,
he was person well esteemed in the whole
community of Tamworth, as he deserved
10 be.
l should like to know, however, how
much Of this esteem be owed TO one queer
circumstance. Whsle be had to start in life
with absolutely no property it happened
that he did hold as trustee for his mother
some bonds which he considered worthless
in the second issue of the Cattaraugus and
Opelousas railroad. These bonds had long
since been taken of all lists known to
brokers, and it was long since any coupons
had been paid Still the Cattaraugus and
OpeloUsas existed, and there were san
one, who supposed that at some time pay
ment would be resumed. Antony, being
her trustee, had TO keep these bonds some
where, and he had been notified by legal
advisers that lac must keep them in one CT
the security vaults which are now estab-
lished in all the considerable cities He
had hired a modest safe at the Amicableof
Tamworth, and at the Amicable you have
the facilities Of a charming reading room,
where are all the new magazines, where
you can wash your hands if you need, you
can make an appointment with a friend,
you can write a note on the Amicable's pa
per.
These facilities are thrown open to you
because you have hired, perhaps for only
$40 year, a safe in that bank Antony
had found that here was by far the best
club room in Tamworth. 1t that city they
have whEt Is known as the Strangers
Rest web developed; you can go in aud
pay ten cents an hour for all the comforts
of a club room, and then 60 out again.
But Antony found that, in the long run,
$40 year WAS cheaper for him than the
Strangers Rest at ten cents an hour. and
what / should like to know j. whether his
standing in that community had not ma
terially risen since the old dons and wild
ows and railroad trustees and other such
persons who had their safes there found
that he was one Of the habitues Of the read
ing room Of the Amicable.
He suspected himself that it gave him
these advantages, and he was careful not
TO presume on them. lie took care not TO
sit there writing letters in times when
business man would be at his counting
room; he only looked in there at the hours
when the most prominent of the dons were
there; be took care not TO appear 10 regard
IL as the only loafing place which he had.
in proportion as he was cautious in these
regards the dons began to respect him as
one Of themselves that is TO say, as per-
son who did not have TO work very hard
for his money, and who had in the cham
Der adjacent the secrets by which a quar-
terly revenue comes to the initiated with
out much cracking Of their finger nails or
griming of their hands
On this particular morning Antony was
obliged TO break his rule. It was just the
hour when he should not ordinarily have
gone TO the Amicable 1t was seldom in
deed that he had any occasion to look at
his mothers bonds IN his safe, for they
were as worthless one month as they were
another. But to preserve the respectable
atles Of the place II had been hlS habit 10
have his safe opened for him once a quar-
ter-about the LIST Of May, August and the
corresponding quarters-which he OBJ
served to be coupon quarters" for some
very distinguished dous.
lie would retire into one Of the little
cells provided for the occasion, open his
box and then carry II back that Il might
he deposited in his safe again. The last
time that he had done this Antony had
placed two fifty dollar bills in his little tin
box 10 guard himself against spending
them He knew that he should have
enough money for his current expenses be-
sides, and he bad not cared 10 make a per
manent investment of this sum. But If he
were u 20 10 pittsburg be must have these
two fiftieS in his pocket, and be walked
down - the Amicable, gave the number of
his safe and LIS box was given 70 him.
CHAPTER II.