Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1914-04-24
-ASingular
Union
1t Was For the Pur-
pose of Spending
a Fortune
By SADIE oLcoTT


George UnderhIn on coming Of age
had everything to live for. He step
ped into a fortune Of half a million.
or $4,000 a year: was in excellent
health. a favoritc with his friends. es-
pecially attractlve to girls. and the
management OF his estate was likely
to give him enough to do to put
an edge on his leisure moments. This
was the outlook before the young man
the day lie was twenty-one years old.
But on that sAme day he noticed a
swelling In his neck about the size OF
q hazelnut. lie had never had an ex-
~crescence of any kind on his body and
could not understand the sudden up
pearance Of this one. He stood before
a mirror looking ut It wonderingly.
He pincbed 1t, and It hurt a little,
though not much, He thought he
would show IL to a doctor and get his
opinion upon 1t, but since he expected
to be busy with his guardian and the
lawyers nearly all day, passing the
papers in receiving his estate, he de
ferrcd the matter till the morrow.
During his birthday he was so taken
up with affairs pertaining to his prop
erty that he forgot all about the swell
ing In his neck till preparing for bed.
when he noticed 1t again. He was a
bit troubled about It and resolved that
the first thing he would do in the morn
ing would be to show it to his physi-
clam DR.. Franklin. So as soon as
the office hour Of the physician came
round George was admitted 10 his o
sulting room.
George did not leave DR.. Franklin's
office for nearly an hour, and when he
did he was in a very different mental
condition from when he entered 1t
The lump indicated an incurable dis
ease. The doctor tried in every way
to avoid telling him this. for the dOu-
BILE reason that his patient would suf-
fer in mind as well as I'm body and his
knowing that he had not long to live
would hasten the end. George. how
ever, gathered from him that he had
anywhere from u few months to a few
years on earth. AS to how much he
would suffer the doctor did not tell
him. Possibly he did not know him.
self. He convinced his patient that he
had better remain ignorant of what
the disease was.
George was Il p~hilosophic fellow, and
when he had recovered. so far as re
t-covery was possible from the shock,
he began to lay plans for spending the
brief unexpired term of his life in a
way to alleviate the condition to the
best advantage. Miss Alice Wood
bridge was his favOrite among his girl
acquaintances. and he thought he
would like to have her cOmpanionshlp
for the brief season of life left to him.
He called upon her, stated the case
and asked her to be his wife, agreeing
to settle half his fortune upon her, the
other half to be spent in such com
forts or pleasures or journeys as would
help him TO forget his coming demise.
Miss Woodbridge asked for a few
days to consider the proposition, but,
being a girl with an eye to improving
her condition. when she gave her an
swer insisted that the whole amount
Of his estate be settled on her except
the income during his life, which she
considered ample for his purpose.
Whether or no she was right he did
not stop to consider, but broke OF the
negotiations.
George tried several other girls. One
who had no especial affection for him
refused him on the ground that she
did not are to tic herself up for a
money consideration to a man who
would b.. III a dying condition during
their married life. Others baked at
this or at that till at last George had
well nigh gone the rounds Of the girls
he would care to marry. One he had
not tried. She was Lucy Ellis, an
amlabie, happy-go-lucky girl, from
whose shoulders trouble rolled or cas-
lily and whose financial necessities were
such that she vas quite familiar Will
the pawnshUp.
To Miss Ellis George concluded T.
make a proposal, but. being somewhat
discouraged In his quest for a compan.
ion in his trouble, offered her much
better terms than any he had yet pro
posed. After modestly telling her that
he thought his income would suffice
as Wei as u ldIBeI dmOulll lol the pun
pose Of making him forget what wa'
coming he promised to settle his whole
estate upon her II she would marry
him.
To his surprise. she threw her arms
about his neck and sai6, with tears II
her eyes: Wen spend 1t all. Ant
what will a lot Of money be compared
with the remembrance that we shall
have at least a short time togetherT"
"But," he protested, what VIII yor
live on when / am gOner'
"Why, / won't be any worse on FOL
money than / am now, viii II"
She looked up at him from a pair o.
ingenious. childlike eyes through he
tears, and then and there his hear
was won
"Very WELL" he said. "Be it as yOV
say"
Nevertheless It was not al she said
for George on the day Of the wedding
unknown to her, placed 100000 fl