The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-25
Common Business Honesty
o.o.0.O.o.o.c~o.o'
Copyright.

=@<AsPAR DANE put down the news . paper he had been reading. He NS was a man of 50, big. massive and powerfully built with strong, shrewd, healthy face, which was smooth shaven except for short, gray side-whiskers; his head was bald and rose to a benevolent dome. and his blue eyes, in spite of a cynical glint which was always in them, were softened by the twinlling crow s feet in the corners. He reclned at his ease in his comfortable leather chair, unperturbed by the dropping of his cigar ashes on his dinner coat. He looked at his daughter, who sat quietly. on the other side of the fireplace, her pretty. fair-haired head bent over her embroidery. Caspar Dane knew that she had been waiting all the evening for him to speak.
 Helen, it was to Paul Herrick's father paid my fool tax 40 years ago. he said.
 Your fool tax?" A flush tinged her cheeks and she put down her embroidery with trembling hands.
 'Yes-what every young man pays Tor his share of worldly wisdom He was a good looking sprightly man. with curly black hair and very handsome, dark-red cheeks and an attractive smile-Paul Her rick is like that, isn't he?''
 Yes" Helen murmured.
 q noticed it especially when he came to interview me today. His father was a crook--kept a bucket shop. and l was one of the young fellows he fieeced. He ended as a fioater on the street"
 Why do you tell me ths?' "Because of that interview which Paul Herrick had with me today He comes of bad stock, Helen, and he deals in stocks as a business; I don't know which r1A hat haf a better fellow than his father; l dare say . he is, or he wouldn't have got you to . care for him, as I understand is the case. Or has he misinformed me on that point?"
 Helen came over and pressed her fath- CTS hand appealingly. 'No, she said.
 Hes a fellow director with me in Val- dez mining; he's been straight enough as | far as l know" Caspar Dane admitted.
 What did you say to Paul?' Helen asked timitdly.
 said that it was a most unwelcome surprise and that l would look into the matter.
 Not very cordial were you? What do you say to me?"
 '"The same"
 Helen sighed; she was aware of her fathers stubborn prejudices and of his eccentric and perverse methods of con frming them
 Helen. my. dear he put HIS dfii round her and drew her closer to him "don't think I'm unsympathetic with you. remember how dear a thing 1t was when I won your mothers consent-and I don't think I could really be unsym- pathetic at such a time. l want you to have all the happiness there is in young love-and there's a great deal. But l don't want you to miss all the happiness there is in love tha's no longer young love that grows and keeps on growing even when the man and the woman are on the downward slope of life. Compared with that, your young happiness, my dear, is nothing-literally nothing. And want you to have the affection Of man so good that you can give him all your life a full, ungrudgng, always increas- ing love and loyalty. If l find Paul Her rick is such a man, the fact that he S the son of his father won't make any difference to me-
 The girl was touched. but not quite satisfied
 How will you find out?' she asked
 "Something may happen" he answered vaguely
 She was aware that the reply masheo an eccentric purpose, but she had to be content.
 The directors of the Valdez Mining Company had been summoned for spe- cial meeting in the law office of MT John Welch. It was generally understood upon the Street that at this meeting the first dividend would be declared. The mining expert. Caspar Dane, was return ing that day from an examination Of the property, and upon receiving his report