Bridgeton pioneer., 1908-02-13
AN
UNPROTESTED
CHECK.
BY Edith M. Dodne.
Copyrighted, 1907, by M. NJ. Cunningham

anded and the fortune that had been
Robert Maxwell's was finally handed
over to his ''beloved daughter Eliza
beth" that young lady regarded her
new found responsibilities in dismay
and promptly proceeded to shift them
to other and broader shoulders. James
Gordon had been her fathers secretary
and his shoulders were presumably bet
ter fitted for the burden.
"But you cannot hand me over your
fortune to carry, as if it were a book
or a parcel" said Gordon distractedly,
though inexpressibly cheered by this
profession of confidence. "You do not
understand
"Oh, yes, 1 do," returned Miss Max
well serenely. II understand perfectly.
/ shall appoint you
"Chairman of the finance committee"
suggested Gordon.
"Yes," said Miss Maxwell. 81 will
be the committee"
"Well, l shall do my BEST" said Cor
don laughing. "But the committee
will please remember that it has GER
tain active duties"
81 don't see why it should have any,"
she retorted. practically, you have
already managed the estate for the
past FIVE years. You were invaluable
to father
"Perhaps 1 was," Gordon returned,
though l don't remember it, and he
never mentioned it. However, l appre-
ciate your confidence and will serve
you faithfully; but (gravely) what if l
should make mistakes? Is it wise to
intrust the handling Of so much money
to one MANI"
'I should think it might depend
good deal upon the man." said Miss
Maxwell softly.
So Gordon fitted up an office in
downtown skyscraper, where he sat at
q table strewn with papers and pink
taped, legal looking documents, fgur-
ing and writing late into the nights,
and Miss Maxwell, having arranged her
financial affairs to her liking, annexed
a meek, elderly relative as chaperon
and turned her attention to other diff
fculties.
Her first, chiefest and most immedi-
ate difficulty was her cousin Tom Cor
nish.
at isn't that do not like you," she
painstakingly explained for the hun
dredth time "You know 1 do. As a
sister, now, p
"Oh, drop it!' retorted Tom inele-
gantly.
"And anyhow I shall never marry"
$50 it's all up?'
II think l have been telling you that
for the past five minutes" said Miss
Maxwell impatiently.
"You know what 1 meant all along" I"
he said sullenly. "Seme one has been
giving you resume Of my vices"
"Your vices are nothing to me nor
your virtues either. If yeu''- The
words died on her lips. For the first
time In all their lives his arm closed
around her. Convulsively he held her
to him, bending his head till his lips
met her soft brown hair.
"Betty, live got to-tell you-Pm
in no end of trouble. I need yeu-I
need your help-I'-
By single vehement effort Betty re-
leased herself.
"How dare you? How dare your
she ragged, then came to dead stop.
Her eyes grew wide with dismay and
fixed upon the doorway at the end of
the room.
"Mr. Gordon" she said in a con-
strained voice.
1t was Gordon indeed. He was quite
at the other end Of the long room, but
not so far that the late tableau could
be unseen by him, and the distress Of
her face was intensified in his as he
bowed hurriedly and the yellow por-
there fell behind him.
Betty blushed furiously. A person
looking on and not understanding
might, of course-she turned suddenly
to Tom, who stood staring at her un-
easily.
"Now gov' she cried desperately.
"Go!'
Meanwhile Gordon had found his hat
and the sidewalk and walked blindly
down the avenue, forgetting the papers
he had gone for-forgetting everything
except a girls flushed, dismayed face.
1t wa~ scandalous that she should be
ap.wed to drift into complications with
= enat fellow 1t was all very well that
cornish was her cousin, but what of
She fellows character-a gambler, a
fortune hunter? Yet what could he
90? AL day he had looked forward to
seeing Betty. Well, he had seen her.
And she must have been in earnest.
She wasn't the kind Of girl to let
man-and as memory gripped him he
plunged gloomily on. ~
1t was several days later that Miss
Maxwell, blue gowned and demure,
turned into the entrance of a bank on
lower Broadway and walked calmly to
the paying teller's window.
Il suppose you know that this over
draws your account, Miss Maxwell"
said that gentleman, handing out a
packet of fresh bank notes.
The girl stared at him in astonish-