The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-27
HE WAS TOO EASY
Mort Albaugh Victim OF
"Friends" Who Borrowed.
Companions of Youth Play
With His POcketbOOk.
REFRIGERATOR CHILL NOW
TOpekan Says Old SWimmin'
Hole Stuff Doesn't Go.
Even Women Have Prevailed
Upon His Good Will.

The latch-string to Morton Al
baugh's heart and pocketbook no
longer hangs out for the friends Oh
his youth and early days. Dear to
him NAV be the friends of his child
hood but no deep glow of warmth
springs from the cookies of his heart
when he meets an old acquaintance
long forgot Just for old times
sake means nothing to the clerk of
the federal court now, and if he ever
discovers sweet charity stimulating a
heart-throb, he is going to strange
that throb, and envelop himself Ill a
cloak of frosty auSterity.
Hereafter I shall carry a refrigera-
ton plant under my vest" announces
the United States district court clerk
in Topeka. 1.-The hand 1 extend shall
be chilly, gladstone smile shall
wreath my face, and there shall be
no kindling spark of recognition, but
an icy CLINT instead, in my eyes when
some one introduces himself or her
self to me an old and nearly Tor
gotten friend.''
And yet Mr.. Albaugh was not al
ways thus. In fact, until just recent
ly he prided himself as a man who
remembered his friends. A man who
did not forget and who found pleasure
in being friend to friend in need
But now the friend in need may just
as well avoid the third floor of the
federal building. Mr. Albaugh hands
it out cold, something like this:
I'm the past week 1 have been
worked by men and I have been
touched by women who introduced
themselves as friends of my early
youth and who went away with some
of my money in their pockets and now
it is going to take a person of sex diff
ferent from either of those mentioned
to get any more money from me-"
A Woman's Story.
1.-THE woman introduced herself tn
me as one 1 had not seen nor heard of
ff1 no fTl hOy- OF l1-x inc
had dealt unkindly to her in many
ways. However. time had been good
to her in the matter of looks. She
was still beautiful. Her story took me
back to my days in Kingman. Her
husband and 1. so she said, had mar
ried at about the same time. We mad
set up housekeeping in the same
neighborhood, and in each family
hers and mine-the stOrk had twice
visited, leaving boys on one trip and
girls on another. The children, being
of the same ages, had played togeth
er. But that was years ago and she
and her husband had separated. 1
had lost all trace of her until she
called on me. 1 do not know what
changes time may have wrought in
her character, but she needed money
and for old friendships sake she
got it.
That Swimming Hole.
1.-The next day it was a man who
called to renew old acquaintances and
be helped on his way. Said he knew
me back in Indiana. Told me we were
boys on adjoining farms. Described
the old swimming hole. Had names
of all the neighbors and had them
right, too. 1 couldn't recall him, but
he had his dope right about my boy
hood in Indiana, and when he eX-
planned that he was running a hard
ware store somewhere up in Nebraska
and had made a trip to Kansas City
and had failed to take enough money
with him to carry him back home, 1
fell for his talk and gave him what he
asked for. He may be just what he
claimed to be, but that was several
days ago when he visited me and 1
have not heard from him. Possibly
he has simply forgotten to send me
back the money he borrowed.
But I have resolved to cut myself
loose from old acQuaintances. I have
turned my back on the friends of my
childhood and early youth. Hereafter
having swan in the same puddle or
lived on the same street will not be
sufficient. 1 have grown suspicious of
persons who introduce themselves as
old friends. and I have closed my
heart to them and it will take some
other line of talk to separate me from
my MONEY!