The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1904-08-19

stick over his grave" and he strode out.
And you, Miss Nancy?" asked the
lawyer of the Oldest niece.
mot penny" she answered, as she
bounced out.
And so said all Of them, until only Har-
old was left.
"Well, Mr.. Harold?" inquired the
lawyer, as the young man picked up his
hat and started out, his face graver than
it had ever been before. He turned at the
question.
1T looks like adding insult to injury"
said he; 'but, after all, we didn't have
any absolute rights in his old money
and he was a pretty good fellow to me.
Get some decent sort of a monument and
take the cost out of my share"
Harold went directly to his club and
sat long time in the smoking-room,
buried in thought For the first time
he faced the real problem of life, and the
natural difficulties accentuated by his
absolute unpreparedness and the noun
tain of debts he had acquired.
There was another complication, too
"a woman, of course Only few
weeks since he had fallen in love with
a sweet-faced nurse who had cared for
him through an illness. and had re-
solved to marry and settle down. He
had proposed and been accepted. To
give her up seemed more to him than all
the rest-the loss of luxury, the pros
pect of hard work, the sneers of his
fellows. But it was inevitable, for he
could figure no way to support himself,
to say nothing of her.
After several hours of absorbed
thought-the longest period of serious
thinking he had ever known-he threw
away his cigar and walked briskly out.
Taking a north-bound car he made his
way to the home of Alice Newton, and a
few moments later had laid the whole
case before her and released her from
the engagement.
What are you going to do?" she asked
with a white face.
~"Oh. | can join the army, guess, and
go to the Philippines" he replied. grim
ly. They will feed me and clothe me
and shelter me after : fashion. That's
more than can do for myself"
You will do no such thing" she re-
and use those abilities you have always
abused, and make a place for yourself.
And-and-I will wait for you"
He started forward eagerly, then re-
lapsed into his old cynicism. 'It's no
use" he said. 'I've thought it all over.
know my limitations better than you.
l can do nothing. and all my associations
and acquaintance and habits are hand
leap and not help. No, l will go my
way and exc out some sort of an ex-
istence. and you will go yours-and God
bless you
He turned quickly TO go, but she
threw her arms about his neck. He
gave her a passionate embrace and their
lips met, but in his eyes there was no
hope.
At the club he found a message from
the lawyer to call at his office next day
Here is a catalogue of monuments.
I thought you should decide what sort
to put over your uncle's grave l do
not care to take the responsibility of
making a selection. Inasmuch as you
are to pay for it, you should make the
selection"
"Oh, it don't matter" replied Harold
81 am no connoissieur in grave stones"
Here" persisted the lawyer, opening
the catalogue, ''is simple stone. that
can be put up for $3.50. Perhaps with
your means that is ali you ought to pay.
Here is very respectable thing for
$500 Here is a shaft for $500, and here
IS very pretentious obelisk for 81 1000"
Harold looked carelessly at the pic
lures.
'Oh. better do it right" said he,
grimly. "The money might as we'll go
that way as any other. He never hes-
tated to add cipher to my check when
debts got pressing. Better give him the
81 900 shaft and fix up some sort of let
tering for it, will you?"
The lawyer bowed CAS- you say" he
said. Come in a week from to-day, and
I will pay you the balance of your in
heritance."
A week later Harold appeared at the
lawyers Office. The other heirs were
there.
The old lawyer showed signs of great
agitation.
There was codicil to Mathew Whit
mans WILL" he said. "It was in q
sealed envelope to be opened by me
after the monument had been placed
over his grave. 1t provides that the
family heirs shall have further leg
acy of an amount equal to 400 times
the cost of the monument, providing that
did not exceed the value of the estate:
said further legacy to be divided among