Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-02-15
coULoN,r DRAW MS own MONEY
His Signature Had Changed a Good
Deal DnrInR InlervenInR Year.

his Signature Had Changed Good
Deal During Intervening Years.
The conversation turned upon early
struggles in life. All of them had
hal hard times. but each of them had
managed to start bank account in
his first days of earning money and
to add to it 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 |
had worked long enough and hard
enough to feel that | was justified in
making what to me was considerable
Of an investment. Years before this
| had begun modest little account
in the - Savings bank. When |
first made my deposits they were not
big and they were not frequent, but
| kept ON making them month by
month and year by year, and IN time
they began to count for something.
Il had never allowed myself the
luxury of Withdrawing a ingle cent
from that bank, not even when felt
that it would he one Of the keenest
pleasures in the world to .swagger up
and draw from big bank some of
my own money and spend it. ! had
reached the limit which had set for
myself in that bank, and had ceased
to deposit there. was perfectly
content to let my money remain
there.
But the time came when l was to
make my investment. looked over
all my assets. got ready to turn them
into cash, and found that | should
have to go to my first savings bank.
| hated to do it then. But | marched
down and presented myself at the
window. I hadn't been there for a
long time. had grown up. had
added to my face beard. and l was
az far from being the boy who had
formerly been there as man well
could he. The first thing was asked
To DO was to write my signature. l
wrote it as had learned to write it
in the recent years, with slap dash
rush
The teller looked at me scrutiniz-
ingly, and then asked me to write it
again. | dashed off another. He
went off q second time and came back
with u little deprecating smile.
The signatures are not the same,
he said.
But, great Scott I'm the same
said.
But how do 1 know thatT he said,
with his provoking smile.
"'You don't expect, do you,' /
ierked out impatiently, for 1 wanted
that money and wanted it quickly,
that I'd write the same hand now as
wrote when was fourteen years
old and made my first deposit'
No, he said, still smiling.
well I'm in hurry for that
money, / said curtly. 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, from the story you tell,
but how do / know it2 / can't let a
man have money when do not know
him. and when his signature does not
agree with the one we have
What in the world am I to dor
said.
"'You will have to be identified
"'But haven't time
You will have to make it or else
sign like your old signature-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 one who could identify me be-
fore could draw the money which l
myself had deposited. When l had
drawn it my boyish signature was
shown to me. 1t was round and
clear. but little trembling, and
when looked at it for the first time
in a good many years, rush of
memories came over me, and | re-
called how | had felt on the first day
that had ever gone into a bank to
open an account for myself. New
York Tribune.