The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1909-07-14

which he had been lingering and went
into the directors room. There had been
no note Of joy among his associates. de
knew that he was not popular with
them; he was not, in their sense, q good
fellow. When they rushed off after
hours to the ball games or horse races,
he never Joined them. When their books
did not balance he never volunteered to
help them. As for himself, he always
balanced, and did not need their help;
and thgy hated him for it. This was his
hour of triumph, but he went to his vic
tory without the cheer Of his comrades,
Later, when need arose for creating
the position of assistant cashier, 1t was
natural that the new desk should be as
signed to Wheaton. He was faithful and
competent; neither Porter nor Thompson
had son to install in the bank and, as
they said to each other and to their fel-
low directors, Wheaton had two distin-
gushing qualifcations-he did his work
and he kept his mouth shut.
In the course of time Thompson's
health broke down and the doctors order
ed him away to New Mexico, and again
there seemed nothing to do but to pro-
mote Wheaton. Thompson wished to sell
his stock and resign, but Porter would not
,, have it so but when, after two years, 1t
was clear that the cashier would never
again be fit for continuous service in the
bank, Wheaton was duly elected cashier
and Thompson was made vice president.
The relations between Porter and
| Wheaton were strictly of a business char
acter. This was not by intention on Por-
ter's part. He assumed that at some
time he or Thompson had known all
about Wheaton's antecedents; and after
so many years of satisfactory service,
during the greater part of which the
bank had been protected against Whea-
ton, as against all the rest of the en-
ployes, by bonding company, he accept.
ed the cashier without any question. Be
fore Evelyn's return he had one day ex.
pressed to Wheaton his satisfaction that
ne would soon have a home again, and
Wheaton remarked with civil sympathy
that Miss Porter must now be quite O
young lady"
"Oh, yes; you must come up to tbs
house when we get going again." Porter
answered
Wheaton had seen the inside of few
houses In Clarkson. He had a recollec
tion of having been sent to Porter's sew
eral times, while he was still an errant
boy In the bank, to fetch Porter's bag OF
occasions when the president had beer
called away unexpectedly. He remem
bered Evelyn Porter as she used to com,
as child and sit In the carriage outsid
the bank to wait for her father; th
| e.
wealth and power.
Raridan had contempt for Wheaton
Intellectual deficiencies; and praise o
Wheaton's steadiness and success vexe,
him as having some sting for himself
but his own amiable impulses got the bet
ter of his prejudices, and he showe
Wheaton many kindnesses. When tn
others at The Bachelors nagged Whea
ton, 1t was Raridan VINO threw himsel
into the controversy to take Wheaton
part. He took him to call at some o
the houses he knew best, and though thi
was a matter Of propinquity he kne,
nevertheless that he preferred Wheato
to the others in the house. Wheatt
was not noisy nor pretentious and tn
others were sometimes both.
Wheaton soon found 1t easy to
4 things that he had never thought Of dc
8 ing before. He became known to tb
I florist and haberdasher; there was
y tie Hambletonian at certain liveryman'
t which Wary Raridan drove good dea
t and he had learned from Wary ho'
S pleasant 1t was to drive out to the ne'
o country club in a runabout instead G
a using the street car, which left a margi
e of plebeian walking at the end Of tn
0 line. But while he acquired the superf
r cal graces, he did not lose his instin,
: tive thrift; he had never attempted I
s plunge, even on what his associates 6
e The Bachelors called sure things" an
6 he was equally incapable of personal e1
y travagances. If he bought flowers he ser
s them where they wouid tell In his favo
If he had five dollars to give to the Ii
l. Fund for the poor, he considered tbs
e when the newspaper printed his name
It its list of acknowledgements, betwee
i Timothy Margrave, who gave fifty do
d lars, and William Porter, who gave twei
d ty-fve, he had received an adequate r
l. turn on his Investment.