Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-04-10

4
"The only thing to do" | said, lis
to file your petition
what do you mean?"
Become bankrupt" l explained.
That seemed to startle her. She
stared at me to see if 1 meant it, and
1 tried hard, and I think successfully,
to look as though I did mean it.
"Nonsense!" she protested.
I shrugged my shoulders. tits I'M
pleasant 1 admitted, "but very often
it has to be done"
"And have my name in the newspa-
pers?"
'That is one of the conditions. You
see, when you came Of age last March,
and so many people gave you so many
| presents, you ceased to be legally ir-
responsible. You can become bank
rupt now quite as legitimately as can
a stock broker"
81 won't!" she said, very emphati-
cally.
ct may not rest with you," I re-
minded her. zone or more of these
firms may apply for an order against
| you'
ooh, but they wouldn't" she ex-
claimed.
"And," 1 went on, "even if they do
not do that, they are almost sure to
summons you in the county court.
| Surely YOU must understand that you
can't run up bills in this way, with
out any means of paying them! At
any rate, you can't do it with impun-
ity 1t looks 50 much like trying to
swindle somebody
''But I'm not trying to swindle any
body" she assured me. She was be-
yond the verge of tears now.
"Of course not" 1 agreed. "But in
a county court they look upon every
one as more or less of a swindler. The
| judge wouldn't know you so well as
I do"
Judges must be brutes," she avow-
ed
cit is not altogether their fault" I
said. "Their calling makes them
brutal"
"And what would happen then" she
inquired.
1T would depend on what sort OF
mood the judge was in" said.
1 can't bear to see Mildred in dis
tress, but hoped to discourage her
in her mania for running up bills that
she can't pay.
do you think it would be of any
use to apply to your father?" said l.
Il daren't," she replied. Il simply
daren't. Things have been going rath-
er wrong in the city lately, and his
temper's reilly awful, especially on
the question of money. He does moth
ing but talk about cutting down ex-
penses."
Inwardly 1 wondered why fathers
are always talking about cutting down
expenses. 1t seems to be a sort OF
monomania that accompanies pattern
ity.
Then you are sure there is no hope
from that quarter?"
quite sure,'' she replied.
1 was silent for awhile. 1 was
thinking out, scheming, reckoning
ways and means, pros and cons-not'
that they needed much reckoning.
CAS- far as 1 can see," l said at
length, there is only one person who
can get you out of the difficulty"
'And who is that?" she asked, with
out much enthusiasm. She evidently
did not believe in the existence Of
such a person. She was entertaining
confused visions Of the bankruptcy
and county courts, with possibly
prison cell in the background.
your husband" I said very calm
ly, although my pulse was beating at
| a tremendous rate.
''But l haven't got husband" she
replied impatiently.
you are quite old enough to have
one,'' 1 observed. "And you are too
young not to have one-to look after
you and pay your bills for you"
"And lecture me and talk about
| cutting down expenses" she retorted.
THANK you. One of that sort in the
| family is quite enough for mel"
"The husband I was thinking about
wouldn't lecture you and wouldn't talk
about cutting down expenses. He
would not lecture you, because he
would be too fond of you; and he
wouldn't talk about cutting down ex-
penses, because things happen to be
rather f1ourishing with him, and look
like improving"
And where am I to find this affec-
tionate, fiourishing paragon?" she in
! quired.
IF you will look straight in front
of you he will be the first man you
will see," l said.
"What?" she cried, not pretending
to misunderstood me. Marry you
merely in order that you may pay my
bills? You don't pay me a very great
compliment
NO" said, mot merely in order
to pay your bills, but that may look
after you, and most of all, that may
| be very deliriously-happy."
NBut 1 couldn't" she protested. AT
ter all this" She waved her hands
II L.