The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-04
THE EVENING STORY
Checking a Rim
(By Taylor Whitley


is 1t true that your fathers bank
cannot stand the run?" asked Sydney
4 ware. Eunice Whitehead nodded.
| Oao says that he cannot meet the
run before the current funds will be-
| come exhausted" she said. .sThal
! means that the bank will have to be
closed down. He is solvent. but he sent
TOO muchSof the currency to town to be
put out at the high interest they are
paying now
partment," said Sydney. THAT should
not bother him much"
1t will break his heart" she re-
turned, IF the bank has to close down
even for couple of days. Doctor
Ounnham says that he is afraid it will
give father shock which will leave its
permanent imprint on him.
lie can make his home with US If
the bank falls said Ware. TT may
be for the best. SO far as we are con-
| cerned."
/ That's what came to talk to you
| about" said Eunice ,gravely. eff the
bank fails, Sgd, shall have to give you
up. dear. Father would never consent
to share home with Ware, and I
| could not leave him.
| You were willing enough to leave
| him last week. suggested Sydney.
THAT was before the trouble came,'
she reminded. Then he had his bank
| and his friends. If he loses one he will
1
| my place is with him"
Sydney nodded gloomily. Thirty years
before Joshua Whitehead and Cyrus
| Ware had been rival suitors for the
head had won and Ware had never for
given him his victory. Whitehead had
then just founded the First National
Bank of Carrsville. and Ware had
drawn his funds from the bank and had
vowed that he would never patronize
/ the institution Such banking he
! had done was transacted through an
| institution in the next town, but Ware
| had conceived distrust for all banks
and most of the large fortune which he
| had accumulated was stc~ed in gold
and bills and bonds in the huge vault
| in the knitting mills; vault as large
and as safe as that in the bank.
But in the second generation the feud
was not carried on. Eunice Whitehead
and Sydney Ware had fallen in love
with each other and, realizing the use
lessness of asking parental sanction,
had agreed to e1ope and seek forgive
ness afterward- ~
To Eunice it seemed almost pun
| the run on the bank should have COM
menced the very day they had set for
| their marriage. Instead Of meeting
Sydney with her suit case in hand, she
| had come to tell him that her place was
by, her father in his hour of trouble.
Mrs. Whitehead had died shortly
after her little daughter was born.
and Eunice had bravely striven to
| take the place of her gentle mother In
| her fathers house. She could not
leave him in his extremity, even for
| the man she loved.
For a while they sat on the fallen
trunk which formed the seat in their
rustic parlor. Vainly Sydney sought
could not shake her resolution, and
Eunice had just risen to go when
there came the sound of some one
crashing through the underbrush, and
Cyrus Ware came into view.
His eyes flashed as he caught sight
of the suit case that Sydney had
brought with him. and he turned to
his son.
$50 it appears that you are going
away said Cyrus. Il suppose that
panion in your travels. She will need
some one to support her, now that her
father has wrecked his bank"
HE has not wrecked his bank and
I am not going away with s s.I
afraid that he can not meet this run
and will have to shut the doors. but
he did not wreck the bank. He will
be able to pay dollar for dollar. I was
going to elope with Sydney. but now
my place is by my fathers side. and I
came to tell Sgd that I could not CO."
But you were willing to sneak
away like a couple of thieves and be
married secretly" tainted Cyrus. IT
suppose that the plan was yours and
you entangled this boy"
THAT is not So" said Sydney holly
"It has taken me year and more TO
persuade Eunice to elope. We knew
that there was no use asking either
her father or mine, and we did not see
why your absurd stubbornness should
spoil our happiness"
Cyrus stared at his son. Like most
80 mt hn co.
cretly admired spirit in others. 1t was
the first time that Sydney had ever
taken so bold g. stand against a pa
rental edict, and he felt thrill Of
''I guess you'll find happiness with
out having to go to Josh Whitehead's
daughter for it," he said harshly. ST
want girl can recognize as my
daughter. not the child OF bank
wrecker."
you are a nasty. wicked old mani"
she cried "You know that you are
saying what is not the truth. be-
lieve that you started this run because
you knew that most Of the country
banks had sent their surplus to tho
city to take advantage of the money
market. 1t is you who are bank
wrecker. I hate you!"
She stamped her foot to emph asize
her words, and something in the ges-1
ture brought back to Cyrus memory
q far earlier day when these same
words were spoken. He and Josh
and Nellie had been out nutting.
three children with no thought of
marriage.
He had killed a bird with stone and
had brought it to Nellie, proud of his
prowess. Instead of the praise he had
expected, she turned on him and had
scolded him for his wanton act. Eunice
In her anger was very like her mother,
and the whole scene came back to-
him as wildly as though 1t had been an
occurrence of the very day, instead of
Renaissance of 40 years and more.
He looked into the eyes that were so
Hike those he had loved in the long ago
and partly turned away For the first
time he realized why Whitehead had
won. Nellie had admired his gentle