Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1911-11-23
7 rustful
Apoloniia


when called upon to describe his char
acteristics and abilities, he would
have accumulated quite little scrap
iron heap by the time he was sixty
live. AS it was, what he had accu-
mulated was the awed dislike of his
townsmen and a collection of stocks,
bonds and mortgages that would sink
ship.
Jed Haymaster could make money
with his eyes shut and one hand tied
behind him. Make 1t he did, with no
quarter for the innocent bystander.
Having all these years of practice
behind him, 1t was easy for him to In
dite the letter to Mrs. Daw. Apolonia
Daw had come to town a few years
before as the bride of Henry Daw, who
had died shortly after His young
widow had continued to reside in the
pretty cottage Daw built for her. her
small income sufficing for her quiet
needs.
Most of this income came in the
shape of dividends from her stock in
the Haymaster engine works This
stock her husband had purchased
cheap when old Jedediah had started
this, the tenth Of his big enterprises.
Jedediah disliked women mixed up
In his business affairs and entitled to
participate in the annual meetings Of
stockholders-and. besides, there was
soon to be large extra dividend.
Whoever held Mrs. DAVIS stock at
that happy time naturally would get
the fat dividend upon 1t.
Therefore Jedediah wrote her that
1t had occurred to him that she might
like to invest her money in govern
ment bonds or something else solid
and trustworthy instead Of having It
in engine stock, which, while good,
might he seriously affected by some
unexpected disaster. He would, in the
generosity of his heart, take her stock
off her hands, now that the dangers
OF possessing it had been made clear
to her, and he remained hers respect
fully.
Apolonia Daw wrote back on paper
family scented with violets. She said
she certainly appreciated his deep in
terest In her affairs, because she had
found very little genuine kindness in
business way since she had been
left alone. 1t touched her greatly.
But the fact that he was at the head
of the engine works gave her such q
sense of security that she had never
worried bit about her stock. The
Haymaster engine works was just as
solid as the Bank of England to her
with his keen judgment and strong
| hand at the helm. So, thanking him
again, she remained his most CRATE
fully.
Jedediah read this with his face
screwed up in tight knot. 1.-THE
| woman's more Of fool than most of
'em!" he said as he dipped his pen
in ink. "She hasn't sense enough to
get scared!"
This time he wrote that her trust
In him was, indeed, flattering, but that
he was only weak human man who
did not claim infallible judgment and
he could not bear to have 1t upon his
conscience If she should suffer finan-
cially through him. OF course the
| engine works were as solid as any.
but<ae begged to point out to her that
industrial stocks fluctuated unexpect-
edly sometimes. They were delicate.
| He considered 1t his duty to look out
for her. So great was his concern
that he would offer her S. share
above par value.
Apolonia answered that she wished
there were more men like Mr. Hay
master in this hard world Things
would take on far different aspect
then. She said there were tears in
her eyes as she wrote and that she
would be less than woman if she felt
the slightest culver of doubt in the
engine works under his guidance,
while, if she descended to the depths
of selling her stock, she would really
be an object of contempt No, she
| assured him, she never would be un.
grateful or foolish enough to think
she could better herself by getting rid
| of her engine stock. Again she was
his most gratefully.
Jedediah gazed at this epistle hos
tilely and breathed hard yet she
can't be as ALFRED smart as she
| must be if she Isn't fool!"
So he called on Mrs Daw that eve
ming on the way home. She fluttered
to welcome him as though he were
| her dearest friend and clasped his
hand warmly. Jedediah, really look
ing at her for the first time in his life,
saw how very pretty she was
Il called" he said, "about that stock.
don't seem to have made myself
clear in my letters. You worry me,
Mrs. Daw with your sublime woman's
| ignorance of business affairs"
Apoloaia leaned forward and looked
Jede diah fairly in the eyes Dear
Mr.. Haymaster," she said, sweetly
4 81 wouldn't have you worry about me
for the world! And you made your
self quite clear! think 1t would have
been brilliantly clear even If l had
been as ignorant as you thought me!
You see, know all about that extra
dividend that Is coming. I'm going
i IN marry v0ur son and no +o1d ~, a