The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-17

law his fortune melt away before him.
Down 1t went like a stack OF card
houses. Just before the closing hour
his broker closed out his account. leav-
inc him in debt for something like SD.-
600.
This time when the market reached
low tide it remained there for a long
while. But this did not make any dit
ference to Julian. for even If it had
gone up again he had no money TO buy
with. AT the beginning Of the next
month his broker sent him an account
current showing his Indebtedness and
asked him to pay up. There were nu-
merous credits and numerous charges.
Julian didn't try TO decipher 1t. He
knew that his fortune had died as sud
denly as it had been born. and he was
too sick at heart TO dissect the corpse.
Julians girl turned out TO be trump
that is. she wcs a trump for Jim II
not for herself She had not shared
her lovers wild enthusiasm while he
was building an inverted pyramid Of
air. but now that he had gone under
she did not desert him.
Its lucky it came to you early in
life, Julian" she said. Il think you
are naturally visionary and that 1t was
sure to come in time. Besides, even II
you had for the present kept a for
tune made in this way it would have
taken wings later on. Now you can
begin life on a more solid though
much slower basis"
Julian secured a position at S25 a
week, and on this he married Rose
Meriweather. She proved an excellent
manager though the hardest thing she
had to manage was her husband. 1t Is
not to be expected that man who has
made money at the rate of $1,000 an
hour and for the time being considered
it as easy to produce as pumping wa
| ter from a well will at once look cut
! for small change. When Julian went
| home In the evening and reported that
he had spent 80 cents for luncheon, 10
cents for car fare and 25 cents for two
cigars, Rose figured that this totaled
65 cents, or about 5000 year. Other
expenses in proportion would bring
ruin.
After many backslidings Julian got
himself down to hard pan and many
an evening when dead tired permitted
a trolley car to go by him while he
walked the two miles between his
business and his house But a baby
came, and everybody knows that q
baby brings added expense, which In
creases and multiplies till the child
has grown and left the parenta
abode. Notwithstanding Roses man
agement and that she got Julian pref
" well trained as to expenditures, the!
had hard time of it. Doctors bills
which are hard to take into considera
ton in laying out funds came In, ant
every cent went for ordinary essentia
expenditures.
But the hardest blow came whel
Mrs. Stafford, struggling against In
Julian was provider so far as he wa
, able, and Rose was dispenser. Ne
! Their could supply the others place
] When under such circumstances tn
: woman has to throw up the spong
the bottom drops out of the household
+ The couple could not afford servan
: and when Mrs Stafford was unabl
r to be up to cook the meals her hui
? band was obliged to handle the skille
which he did unsuccessfully, spoilin
9 many a meal. This was hard both o
9 his wife and himself.
Il Julian was too poor to buy a new
: paper, but during the noon hour. whil
8 eating lunch brought from home.
y looked over the paper In the off1c
!. During his wife's illness he was OF
D day reading the financial news-frol
.. force of habit-when he saw 1t state
y there had been a sudden rise In jim
g dandy Automobile. The company ha
t succeeded in purchasing valuable pa
ents and for a year past had bee
J. earning large profits Julian f1nishe
Z browsing over news that he had I
l. reason to suppose concerned him ar
l. his luncheon at the same time ar
J. went back to work.
II A few days later when Julian h6
+ prepared the breakfast and was takir
d some toast and tea up to his sick wi
d be stopped at the front door to answ,
q the postman's whistle. He was han
; ed letter, which he carried on I
It with the breakfast. Having put Il
breakfast down beside bis wife.
J. looked at the letter. On the left haI
II corner was printed, "Jimdandy Aut
o mobile Company, James G. Erskil
a Secretary" He opened the letter ar
It read aloud:
. Dear Julian-Our venture after lol
period of distress has at last made goo
Under a reorganization our interest
1000 shares. AS soon as the new certi
Gates are issued I will send you your
shares. Since the recent advance the ma
Is ket price is 80. This makes your lot wor
II $4,000 The reason l haven't given y,
= any information before Is because the
70 was no good news to report. Yours, wi
congratulations, JIM
i what does it all mean" asked RIOS
q 81 don't know. Some one has mac
i. q blunder."
q Rose suggested that he go next doc
where the inmates had a telephon
and call up Erskine. He did so, al
It Jim undertook to remind him Of Il
8 check for $500 that Julian had give
d him when he was making money
o the ticker at a thousand dollars {
It hour. But Julian had no remembran
r Of the incident and could not recall
n However, Erskine assured him that Il
70 money had been invested in what Il
up to the Jimdandy Auto compan
" Indirectly through the holder of "