The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-01-01
A TALE OF Two MSERS
(Coutinued. from page B. }

death, and meanwhile, until that, high
| ~ uncertain event occurred, he was to
get a small monthly allowance. But
besides this, as Van Doren gravely con-
/ ceded before his departure, efforts
would be used towards securing for his
nephew the desired mercantile clerk.
ship.
That last promise, like the former
one, was faithfully carried out. The
old man, in spite of his detested stingi-
ness, retained a certain distinct bust.
ness influence. He recommended Stan
field to firm of some Importance, and
here, in a prim Office overlooking the
| throngs of masts at the docks of Water
street, Martha's husband soon found
himself seated before a ledger-laden
desk.
| 1t was tiresome work; he had, as the
phrase goes, head for figures, and by
nature he was not one to whom the gid.
dy pleasures of cities offered tempting
lures. But it began gradually to bore
him with increasing keenness that he
could not crafty in the cautious and
conservative atmosphere of Messrs. Van
Veckten & Co. his longings for quickly
acquired riches.
81 despise money merely in ITSELF"
he would say to Martha. But what it
will bring-ah! that's another affair!
Think! you and / might go round the
world together, arm in arm, as it were,
if that old fellow would only consent
to let us!''
"And so we shall, some day, no
IL
against his chee.g,
''Hush," he said, almost pushing her
away from him. 81 hate to count on
anyone's death-even his"
Eyes; you're right, dear" said Martha,
Forgive me-"
Nevertheless he did count on his
uncle's death, harshly as it first went
, against his nature to do SO. During the
next five years two children were born
to Martha and himself, a boy and girl.
The little family had just enough to
supply it's wants and not dime more.
Martha, with her babies and her domes-
tic cares, kept up her spirits in blithest
fashion. But the change in Alfred wor
ried her. She saw that his office work
was growing more and more leaden
task to him, and that the yearning for
Myndherst Van Doren to die had become
like a cancer that slowly eats deeper
and deeper into the flesh.
When their first child was born they
brought it to the old miser, but he car
essed 1T in only a languid and perfume
tory way. The truth was he could
caress nothing with any real pleasure
save dollars, and these he actually did
: fondle and slip through his fingers in
their most captivating golden form.
For Stanield, who now and then would
meet the old butler, had it directly from
Samuel himself, one day, that there was
' pot of actual gold coin in the cabinet
of the library upstairs and that here,
very often, instead of reading any of
the books on the adjacent shelves
books which he had long ago ceased
from the horrible extravaganza of pur-
: chasing-he would sit crouchingly be-
g side his green-shaded lamp for hours
: and hours of an evening, arranging the
? gold pieces into piles of a certain
+ height, making of these piles medal
! lions, and then altering the latter with
a slow but incessant variance until his
freallish manipulations reminded you of
l. nothing SO much as the sluggish revo-
luton of a kaleidoscope.
, Talk like this l1eenly interested Stan
field. Now and then he would refer to
Samuels gossipy confidence during
talks with his wife. AS time went on
the city pushed itself up past tracts of
! land that but yesterday, as might be
said, were open country. The Stan
fields moved their place of residence to
one further uptown, though cheaper and
more modest than that which they had
formerly held.
It Martha protested a little at this.
e There's no use, Alfred" she said, sin
our reducing expenses. We don't want
to save, you know" By this time they
had got into the way of speaking quite
:, freely to one another regarding Van Do
Ii ren's expected demise.
II ''No," he replied, mot to save-o1
e course not. But money is money, my
o dear, and we need not squander it,"
k ''Squander it!' faltered Martha. She
4 could not understand the change in
!, her husband. He had lost good deal
= of his old bonhomie. He was given tc
fits of brooding that puzzled her, and
these and suddenly ask her how much a
certain grocer's bill had been or just
i what amount she had paid for young AL
fred's last pair of shoes, for young Ger
trude's newest dozen of hose.
h At last poor, gentle Martha walked
up and gave her lord a grand scolding
. He listened to it very patiently, anc
q told her with sort of dazed smile
IL which she somehow detested) that he
,. had thought SO much of money lately
W as to find himself caring about it
n watching it's expenditure in a really pc
-, culiar way.
i "You think altogether too much or
= the subject of money" said Martha
Is with reproachful heat. 'Are we not
10 quite comfortable as we are? And if 6
e. certain thing doesn't happen within the