The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-09

cSC A-OAC VA hoA1ohAey no ~ 40 eA4oh my
other class Of men. but question il
the endless panorama Of incidents
typifying the different phases Of hu-
man life is witnessed by any class that
every day passes before bankers.
Sometimes whole stories are enacted
before us spread over a term Of years.
I am the repository Of one such story
that watched from its beginning to
its climax.
One afternoon a weather beaten old
farmer with silky white hair scattered
over his head came to my desk and.
pulling out a wallet, asked for draft
on Denver for 500 in favor Of Thomas
Williams. He counted out the money,
and then. having nothing to do while
the draft was being prepared, began
| to tell me the beginning of this story.
"I'm sendin' the money" he said.
ito my boy out in Colorado. He went
out there year ago, takin some
money with him that l give him, but
he hasn't had much luck. and it's all
gone. First he got sick; then when he
| got well he went prospectin' and
| struck somepin that looked good. but
some other fellers jumped his claim.
whatever that means, and took 1t all
away from him.
| "Then Tom got sick agin and went
to horsepittle and stayed there three
months. Now he's got out of the
horsepittle and lookin' about for some
pin. I'm sendin' this money to give
him chanel Toms his mothers pet,
and she lays awake nights worryin'
about him. I'm mighty fond Of the
boy myself somehow.
when he got old enough to work 1
wanted him to help me on the farm.
He tried it for awhile, but l see purity
quick he didn't take to 1t. He was
too smart to be contented to follow a
pillow same s his father, who didn't
never get no eddication. SO I says
to him one day: Tommy, reckon you'd
better go to the city and work that
away. This don't suit you He was
mighty well pleased at that. 1t al
most broke mas heart to part with
him, but she knowed it was better for
him and let him go.
atom didn't like it in town so well
as he thought he would. Leastawaya
he didn't stay long in the place he
went into. They must a thought a
heap Of him, though, for they raised
his salary twice, so he wrote me. But
he got into fight with one of the head
clerks and got himself discharged. He
said the head clerk accused him of
etealin' some money.
tom was allus an ambitious little
chap, and after leavin' his place he
concluded he'd go west and try and
do somepin big, for ma and me agin
we got too old to work. So we scraped
up $500 and give 1t to him, and he
At this moment a clerk laid the
farmers draft on my desk, and the
first chapter of his story was finished
for he began TO count over his soiled
and torn bills, now and again wetting
his thumb on his lip as he turned them
up. Then, leaving them to me and
carefully folding his draft, he put it in
his wallet, crammed the wallet down
into the bottom of his pocket and with
q "Goodby, Mr.. Cashier" left the bank.
The second chapter OF the story is
very short. There is hardly enough In
It to make q chapter, but there is a
good deal beneath the few words re-
Quired to tell 1t. A girl Of eighteen
came to the bank, laid down $24, near
ly all In silver coin, and asked for q
draft to cover the amount.
ITO whom will you have 1t made
payable?" l asked.
"Tom Williams" in a soft voice, al
most whisper.
the girl stood waiting. Unlike the
farmer she didn't tell all would have
liked to know, so l asked:
rs Tom Williams your brotherT
mo" she replied. looking down on
the floor.
l had not liked the indications as to
Toms character as they appeared In
his fathers account of him, and now
that money was going to him from his
sweetheart | began to despise him. I
handed the girl the draft and had a
good opportunity to study her, for she
never once looked up at me-. She went
out with 1t Rugged up against her
heart, as though she loved 1t because
she had saved 1t for Tom.
My next visitor In behalf Of Tom
was his mother. She stood by my
desk emptying on 1t from q carpetbag
lot Of bills and silver and copper
coins. Not knowing who she was, l
asked what should do with the mon
ey, and she said, "Send 1t to Tom"
By this time was not likely to forget
Tom and asked IL she wished a draft
for Thomas Williams. She said she
did. l turned her funds over to a
clerk to count, and he reported that
they amounted to $643.47. / ordered
the draft to be made out, placed a
chair before the old lady and said.
with view to my enlightenment:
| "Mr Williams Drpfty bucv noua.