The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-11-16
MR.. ELLERY'S
WHITE ~ "
ELEPHANT.

noon-hour and hasten out to GER
tain highly respectable section of the
city, to take a look at his white ele-
phant. Having satisfied himself that
II had not happily disappeared since
his last visit. but that. on the con-
trary, and worse luck TO him, 1t was
daily growing In proportions, he
caught returning car and went back
TO his office. there to work on an un-
solvable problem which he invari-
ably laid aside with sigh OF disap-
pointment when the remainder of
the employees gathered at their desks,
and the duties of the day were re-
sumed Ht
The problem was this: To subtract
ten thousand from three thousand,
and leave a comfortable balance. In
other words, and to speak more plain
ly, to meet an annual expenditure Of
not less than ten thousand dollars
with a yearly income of three thous-
and and have remainder sufficient
to clothe fastidious young man and
dl tAlldNubdul NOuhG Mllts
II is scarcely matter of surprise
that by no possible necromancy Of
mathematics could he bring about the
desired result. and that each day he
returned TO his drawings snd his
-prints-for the young man was
an architect-with increasing dis
gust.
That which in the course of devel-
opment he began to suspect was to
take the form OF an elephant was
in the Beginning nothing more than q
most valuable corner-lot. in a very
desirably locality, the property Of
wealthy brewer, by name Joseph Bar
ney Young Ellery had passed this
corner on many a soft summers
evening, In his strolls with Lucille
Barney during the haleyon days Of
cOurtship; he had walked heedlessly
by II In the late hours when going
home, and he had skidded around 1t,
in her automobile. little dreaming
that he was doomed TO go through life
with this valuable corner-lot. and the
white palace that later grew there,
bound to his back. like another At
las.
A manly young fellow was Ellery,
Industrious. self-reliant, conscien-
tious He had wooed the heiress to
the brewers vast wealth because he
loved her. and he married her for the
same sufficient reason, taking no ac-
count of her fiattering prospects.
After a public wedding, one of the
fashionable events of the season. the
young couple went to live in select
family-hotel, where they were happy
until his white elephant began to as
sumo formidable shape and even
then he was happy when it was pos
sible for him to forget the perplex-
ing problem in substraetion which
absolutely refused to afford him the
desired solution
When he returned to the hotel one
evening he found the rotund and for
id-faced Mr. Barney in close CONVEX
sation with his daughter, and when
he entered the room the brewer gave
his child a command of secrecy in
the way OF threatening scowl, which
the latter in her impulse of Joy re-
fused to notice.
'Oh. Paul. what do YOU thinkY'
cried the young wife, enthusiastically
after she had given her husband a
welcoming embrace. Papa is going
| to build us house. Isn't he a dear?"
He's Il brick. that's what he is
declared Paul, quite as impulsiyely,
although he could not becominsly run
to the pleased brewer and throw his
arms around his neck. as did his
wife.
IL can't let my Lucy live in this
coop" exclaimed the other address
| Ing Ellery. There's no place "a
breathe here. give you my word
IL would kill me-"
"It is rather small quarters" ad-
mltted the young man. "All the new
and desirable apartments seem to bt
small"
| anu Nntlt hO NON
think II Is to be?" interposed Lucille
"You can never guess DO you re-
member that beautiful corner on
Warsaw avenue?"
Il should rather think So Fines
corner | know of anywhere"
THAT is where our little home II
TO be- II IL Just lovely"
IL seemed so to Ellery. He haC
watched the excavation. and the lay
Ing OF the substantial foundation viii
quite as much pleasure as his wife
Then a great edifice of white ston'
began to arise on the front Of the lot
with garage and a stable In Oh
rear; and. becoming alarmed, he tool
TO figuring Then came time. wheI
the home was completed. and tn,
young couple we're forbidden to en-
ter, while Mr. Barney was furnishing
II according to his own extravagan
tastes.
Finally. one day, the few belong
ings OF the Ellery's were taken iron
the hotel while Paul was al his work
and that night he stepped into hi
palatial home, His wife was await
ing him discreetly inside the door
| Ror oha oould NOT vuith nronriatv ran