The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-10-31
SOME LUCKY HOLIDAYS.
Good Investment on Small Expendi'
tures-Fun Thrown In.

The average man regards his annual
holiday as a fatally easy, however pleas
ant, means of emptying his purse; but
TO fortunate few the expenditure proves
by far the best investment they could
possibly make, says a writer in Tit-Bits.
This was the experience few years
ago Of an acquaintance OF the writeT-a
youthful Junior clerk In q government
office. who. at the time fortune smiled so
Economically and Unexpectedly on him,
was passing rich" on $50 year, and in
his most golden dreams never hoped to
enjoy more than four times this income.
1t was at the popular Lancashire hOll-
day resort, Morecambe, that fortune
came to him in this fashion. One morn
ing he was reading his newspaper and en-
ioying his breakfast pipe on a seat
on the pier, when an elderly gentleman
sat down by his side and wished him a
pleasant good morning" Conversation
naturally followed. during which the old
gentleman asked his young acquaintance
II he would be good enough to read lit
tie OF the mornings news TO him, as he
was almost blind and unable TO read him
self-a request which was cheerfully COM
piled with. and very agreeable hour
was passed.
Morning after morning the same pro-
gram was repeated, and when at last the
clerk had to say ''good-byp he received
a cordial invitation from his old friend
10 call on him at his home at Highgate.
For two years the young man was an al
most daily visitor, giving UP much OF his
leisure time to reading to Mr., b, never
dreaming Of any reward for his kindness.
until at last the little romance came to
dramatic conclusion. Mr. b died after
a short illness, during which his young
friend scarcely left his side: and he
learned to his amazement, that Mr.. B.
had left him his entire fortune-a large
estate in the north of England and an in
come of $500 year.
This story. which is well known in civil
service circles, had a serious counterpart
only last year. Among the guests at a
Brighton boarding house were an old lady
and a young city solicitor who had only
been admitted a few months earlier.
The old lady, who was shabbily dressed
and a little eccentric. was either Ignored
or sighted by her fellow-guests, some Of
whom had the bad taste to make fun of
her behind her back The only exception
was the young lawyer, who, touched by
her loneliness. paid her special attention,
conVersed with her, and escorted her on
her daily walks until he completely won
her heart
The sequel to this little adventure,
which Is known personally to the writer.
astonished no one more than the hero Of
Il One day, a few months later. when his
holiday was only memory, he was In
vited to call on firm of solicitors IN Lin
coins Inn, and learned that the old lady
whom he had befriended at Brighton had
died from an accident, but not before she
had made a viii leaving him legacy of
$4,000, with one-fourth OF which 1t was
her wish that he should buy partnership
or a practice, and on condition that he
should add her name TO his own, lin
memory of an old woman to whom he
had been so kind
But fortune occasionally comes to the
holiday maker in guise even more agree
able In the summer of 1902 a Cambridge
undergraduate was walking along the sea-
shore between NentnOr and Shankin,
when, on turning the corner Of cliff, he
heard cries OF distress. The cries pro-
ceeded from lady who was swimming
about 100 yards from the shore, and who.
.f-,cf h
ceding tide, was in danger of being car
ried out TO sea.
Without q moments hesitation he flung
off coat, waistcoat and boots, plunged
into the sea and swan out to her rescue,
bringing her safely to land in half
fainting and utterly exhausted condition.
The lady he had rescued proved to be a
beautiful young girl, the orphan daugh-
ter and heiress OF a wealthy Devonshire
landowner. The acquaintance so ro-
mantically begun ripened into friendship,
then into deep and mutual love. and on
the second anniversary OF their first dra-
matte meeting the wedding bells were
ringing in their honor.
This IS but one of several similar ro-
mances of recent years in which sum-
mer holiday has proved to be the portal
10 both love and riches. But probably the
most remarkable of all these true stories
that have led TO fortune is the following
A familiar figure at Hastings a few
years ago was that of an eccentric old
gentleman who used to hobble about on
the pier with two sticks. When he saw
a stranger sitting alone he would sit
down beside him and startle him by ask
ing, What are 81 times 1862" fixing a
pair of keen black eyes on him as he
awaited the answer If,this was not forth
coming in few seconds he would hobble
away with a grunt OF disgust.
One day, however. he asked the ques-
ton of a young man who gave the an
sWer almost soon as the words had
left his lips. The old man was SO delight