Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-09-01

brassie and lofter. Nobody was sur
prised when. in the fall, their engage
ment was announced.
OF all this the Hon. John L. Atkins,
Miss Sanford's lawyer and guardian.
was quite innocent All he knew was
that his pretty young client had got
her check regularly every month. and
that she seemed 70 be getting prettier
every time he saw her. Occasionally.
it may be confessed, Mr. Atkins won
dered whether he could ever hope to
find a girl who came nearer filling his
ideal Of what a woman should be-
but there was never anything between
them but business. Mr.. Atkins was
considerably past 40 and confirmed
bachelor.
OF course MIR. Atkins was invited to
the wedding of Laura Sanford and
Tom Darling. As matter of fact he
gave the bride away If it cost him
pang he concealed his feelings, or at
least only showed it in the beauty. of
the splendid gift he sent the young
wife.
Mr.. and Mrs. Tarling went u
housekeeping. after trip to Europe,
in an apartment on the north side.
Now, with all the responsibilities of
married life on his hands, Tom Darl-
ing settled down to hard work, more
determined than ever to push the
Darling Machine works. But things
didn't go well with him. Not alone
was competition more and more keen.
but he began to be hampered by a
lack of sufficient ready money to in
stall a complete outfit of improved
machinery. which would enable him
to meet his competitors on an even
footing. Tom Darling was one of the
men who do not conceal matters from
their wives. He told her all his bust
ness troubles, and was more than once
wisely guided by her advice,
"You see when took hold" he told
her, there was debt of $4,000 on
the plant. That cost me S1.S00 a year
in interest alone, and have been try
ing for the last three years to pay it
off and get rid of the interest charge.
I've got thirty some thousand dollars
put away in special fund to meet
the debt when it falls due next Janu-
airy, but what hurts me is that the
business is just simply crying for
more capital to extend it. And all the
time I've got to pay 5000 every six
months just to meet the interest
charge
When does your next interest
payment come due?" asked his wife.
''On the first of November
WELL she said, with little smile,
''you needn't worry about that Tom.
I've got little income of my own of
$3.50 a month that / never told you
about, and thatn meet the interest
charge without any trouble"
Of course Tom Darling declared he
couldn't allow his wife to help him
pay his business debts, and equally.
of course she insisted that she was
Just as much interested as he could
possibly be in the extension of the
business. At any rate Mrs. Darling re-
ligious1y pat her $3.50 away every
month, and thirty days before the in,
terest was due gave him her check Tor
$500. He took it. because she in
sisted. and mailed his own check for
the amount to the trust company.
Thirty days or SO later Mr.. Darling
got a letter from the trust company
announcing that the principal on tbs
-$40,006-would fall due on Jan.
/ and that their client did not wish 10
renew it.
She has another investment which
she desires to make, the letter said,
and we shaH therefore be obliged To
cali on you for the amount on the
date named"
well. I'm sure" said Mrs. Darling
when Tom told her what the letter
said. that if the person knew how
much you needed the money and
how well You would use it he would
be glad to let you have it."
Well, Tom Darling paid the $40 900
TO the trust company, and the trust
company turned it over to the Hon
John l. Atkins, who, in turn, turned
it over to Mrs. Tom Darling, VINO
handed il back to her husband And
then everybody concerned learned the
truth for the first time. Now Mrs.
Darling owns $4,000 worth of stock
in the Darling machine works, ana the
business is in a fair way to realize aft
Toms ambitions for 1t.
Mr.. Atkins thinks it is all a good
joke on somebody he's little I'M
certain on whom.-C Chicago Tribune