Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1892-03-04

1aaAs WAss ~ WAs : ney.
The conversation turned upon early
struggles In life. All Of them had
had hard times, but each OF them had
managed to start a hank account IN
his first days OF earning money, and
to add to II from time to time.
"And the only time in my life,"
SAID one OF them, that / had money
and yet did not have it, was when l
had worked long enough and hard
enough to feel that I was justified in
making what to me was considerable
OF an investment. Years before this
l had begun a modest little account
In the - Saving Bank. When I
first made my deposits they were not
big, and they were not frequent, but
l kept on making them month by
month, and year by year, and in time
they began to count for something.
II had never allowed myself tho
luxury Of Withdrawing "a single cent
from that bank, not even when l felt
that would he one OF the kecnest
pleasures In the world to swagger up,
and draw from a big bank some of my
own money and spend it. | had
reached the limit which l had set for
myself in that bank and had ceased
to deposit there. l was perfectly con-
tent to let my money remain there.
''But the time came when / was to
make my Investment l looked owe
all my assets, got ready to turn them
into cash and found that l should
have to go to my first savings bank.
.lbated to do 1t then. But l marched
down and presented myself at the
window. l hadn't been there for a
long time. l had grown up. had
added to my face a beard, and l was
as far from being the boy who had
formerly been there as a mar well
could be. The first thing l was
asked to do was to write my sigma
ture. wrote it as l had learned to
write it in the recent years, with a
slapdash rush.
1.-THE teller looked at me scrutiniz-
ingly, and then asked me to write it
again. l dashed off another. He
went off a second time and came
back with a little deprecating smile.
THE signatures are not the same,'
he said.
But, great Scott! I'm the samc,'
l said.
"'But how do / know that?' he
said, with his provoking smile.
"'You don't expect, do you,' l
jerxcd out impatlently, for ] wanted
that money and wanted it quickly,
that I'd write the same hand 0 as
l did when / was Il IL years old, and
made my first deposit?'
".No,' he said, still smiling.
"'Well, I'm in a hurry for that
money | said CURLY. I've got to
use it right away, and I'd like it right
away
I'm very sure he said, that you
are the man. flom the story you tell,
but how do l know it? | can t let a
man have money when l do not know
him, and when his signature does
not agree with the one We have
What in the world am l to do?'
| said.
"'You will have to be identified
"'But I haven't time
"'fOu will have to make it or else
sign like your old slgnature-your old
one" he added with a smile, is a
good deal better than the one you
write now
''But | had to hurry out and find
some n who could identify me be-
fore l could draw the money which I
myself had deposited. When l had
drawn it my boyish signature was
shown to ME. 1t was round and clear,
but a little trembling, and when 1
looked at 1T for the first time in a
good many years, a rush a memories
came over me, and l recalled how I
had felt on the first day that / had
ever gone into a bank to open an ac-
count for myself New York Tri-
hnOp