Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1912-11-14
A BIG FIND
But 1t Proved to Be
a Burden
BY REGINALD d. HERON

understand that | could have no
daughter OF his: that II persuaded
Edith to marry me without his con
sent he would never recognize either
OF us any more than II we were Strau-
gers to him. and that the results OF
our folly aud Edith's ingratitude must
be endured without any assistance
! whatever from him.
What kind OF young man are
you" he Numbered. FOR Il gentleman
to give his daughter TO? AS poor as a
church mouse. you have come here in
hired carriage to see me-"
YES" retorted land III 90 away
in the carriage in which | came"
And hope you'Il stay away"
We turned our backs upon each 9th
err. he to go into another room. | to
go out and get into the cab. saw
Edith at an upper window with a
panied expression on her face. She
kissed her hand to me. and waved
mine to her. Then got into the cab.
shut the door with a bang and was
driven away.
AS it happened | sat down on the
left side of the carriage, whereas |
had come on the right side. The seat
was uneven. hut | was too hot from
my recent Interview to notice II for
some time. Presently without getting
my mind off the latter endeavored to
| arrange the former. The hump re
manned arose and lifted the cuSh.
| tan II.
inches long Ivy three wide. the wrapper
being brown paper. was not So alb
sorbed In having been refused the
girl loved but that removed 1t and
revealed II package OF bank bills. The
one on top was of the denomination of
500 The next was $1.0n. the next
$500, and So on OF mixed denomna-
tons to the end counted $5O.OOO in
all.
Here was a find n big find a deuced
big find 1t would he impossible To
give the confusion of thoughts pass
ing through my mind. had stumbled
upon the whercwithal to recoup
Edith would yet be mine. Would the
owner of the bills turn up? What
would he the outcome? These were Il
few Of the flashes upon my brain. but
give only n faint picture of the tur
MOL there. can only say in justice
to myself that almost instantly all
gave way to the fact that the money
was not mine and Its owner must be
found.
During the next few days | bought
every newspaper issued in the city
where lived and had found the bills.
not doubling that their loss would be
advertised. When the next morning
after | had found them | saw no no
tice OF them was surprised. When
on the second morning no notice ap-
peared ! was astoniShed and on the
third morning. having gone through
with dozen newspapers without find,
ing what | looked for. was amazed
On the morning of the eighth day
received a telegram from my college
chum. Henry Harker:
Come at once. The position is vacant
and cannot remain so forty eight hours
This was in response to a letter
had written few days before to liar
ker. who had succeeded his father ~
president OF large manufacturing eS
Enlistment. asking him to give me n
job. am not one To 20 back on my
proposition ana began at once my
hurried preparation to leave. But
what should | do with the bills | had
found? Acting on the principle the
least said fhtl soonest maDdo6 h.,I
kept the matter to myself and the
money under lock and key, being the
only one who knew where must
act at once. thought of depositing
the bills in Il bank. No; that wouldn't
do at all. Fifty thousand dollars of Il
strangers money in ones possession
involved danger 1t might land the
finder in Jail. TO give it to friend
for safe keeping would require deposit
ing the secret with him Mt the same
time.
| spent hours turning over differ
ent plans and finally settled on the
following: ! went to safety deposit
company and rented II box. II was the
last thing did before taking train.
duu was III uTeduIuI hurry. MY
plan was to use an assumed name. but
in the hurry Of preparation had not
settled upon name. When the Gus
todian. an old man. took out his book
and asked What name?'' gave him
the frst that came INTO my head-Gus-
tavus Hall Williams. He wrote it
down: handed me the key to the box:
went with me TO the vault. put
away the bills. turned the key and for
the first time since had found them
felt relieved
Harker put me In position that
had not been prepared to I'll. He said
be knew | could learn the duties az
went along. | did learn them. but my
mind was fixed on them to the excIn.
sion of everything else thought Of
the fortune locked up in the safe de
post company once in awhile. but
since there was nothing concerning II
to think about more than when left
II nv mental dwellings unon II were