The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-06-04
A Surreptitious
Gift
By F. A. mitchell


mother about you, and we have decid-
ed that it would be pleasant for rs all
If you would 20 to Stuttgart and make
the acquaintance of your cousins.
When | came TO America | left a sis
ter, OF whom was ana am today very
fond. ! cannot leave the business to
make the trip myself but later, when
you have taken my place in its man
agement, hope to do so. 1t Is better
that you should 20 now before you
have become absorbed In other mat
ters''
/ was delighted with the prospect of
q trip abroad. My father not only .
gave me a liberal sum for the trip. but /
a separate amount which he intended
that | should turn over to the family
l was going to visit. They are very
sensitive" he said land | rely on your
tact to turn this money over to them .
without hurting their feelings. | don't .
know exactly how they are situated,
but ] fear they are not overburdened !
with this worlds goods"
! found my aunt and my cousins ex- ,
actly what my father had described
them. Never was there more anus
ing and, to me. touching instance of /
family striving to put the best foot |
forward. Having been coached as to
this by my father, on my arrival at
Stuttgart ! put up at hotel and an
nounced my arrival by mail rather |
than go at once to their home. thus I
v{Vytn fhAf To ,aaIr
arations they might wish to hide their I
real circumstances. ] heard nothing
from them for twenty-four hours.
when my uncle called on me and apol- |
ogized for the delay In welcoming me,
saying also that on no condition would |
the family permit me to remain at a
hotel, but that their guest chamber !
needed attention. and they had been
overhauing it.
] thanked my uncle for the proffered
hospitality, but declined on the ground
that | was troubled with insomnia and
must be in house In which l could
go about at all hours Of the night |
However. ! accompanied him to his |
home, a house of diminutive size, but
very neat, and my aunt welcomed me
affectionately My cousin Anna, girl
of eighteen. l found so comedy and
with such a kissable pair of lips that |
took advantage of my cousinship and
tasted them ut once.
All expressed much disappointment
that l would be prevented by my in |
somnia from making their house my
home during my sojourn at Stuttgart |
Int 4
much relieved. They invited me to
dine with them, and, fearing they.
would be mortified at having to sit at
meager table, ! declared that l was
victim of dyspepsia and would only
accept their invitation IL they would |
promise not to tempt me with any ex-
cept the plainest food. And, remem-
bering that sausage was common and
inexpensive food in Germany, / said
that sausage was about all l ate. 1t !
did not occur to me that no worse
food could be used by dyspeptic till
my aunt expressed surprise.
/ spent a couple of weeks with my
relatives, they trying to hide their pow
erty and l trying to hide the fact that
I noticed 1t. or, rather. pretending that
TO give me. And all this time l was
studying how l could turn over to
them what my father had sent them
without their knowing whence II
came for l feared their pride would
be hurt IL l offered It in the form Of
money. yet | knew that was the only
form In which 1t would meet their re-
quirements.
The only method Of giving them
pleasure without racking my ingenuity
was to ask my cousin Anna to show
me the attractions of Stuttgart. pay
ing the expenses, Of course. myself.
Going about in that way with pretty
girl brought about love affair. In
deed, though my father had not men,
TONED the matter to me, when ! saw
Anna l suspected his real motive in
sending me abroad was to make a
match between her and me. At any
rate, long before the end of my visit I |
proposed to her and was accepted.
The time of my departure drew near.
and ! had found no plan by which to
leave my fathers gift without hurting
the beneficiaries. The amount was the |
equivalent of $1,000 in American
money and could not be surreptitously |
transferred In any ordinary manner. |
There was an old clock In the house /
which l thought l might pay that |
amount for. but when l expressed a
desire to possess 1t my aunt begged |
me to accept it,
All ordinary plans tried having fail
ed, was forced to a special expedient
Anna consented to return to America
with me. and went for tour through |
Europe. said goodby. then went to
my hotel. made myself up as an old
man, watched for my uncle to leave
the house. followed him till he entered
a trolley car. took a seat beside him
and slipped a roll Of bills into his side
pocket.
Whom I rafurnx.i from S1~r 7