Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1917-08-17
Payment In Full
By HOWARD @. MORGAN

| tOlOfau0. we went part way DY rail-
and the rest by stagecoaeh. Our home
was on the stage road between Denver
| and Georgetown. My father was en-
gagged in mining operations of one kind
or another for ten or twelve years. My
mother died at this time.
/ A short distance from where we lived
an old lady kept house for her son, who
| had prospered in having bought mine
which turned out to be very valuable.
! His name was Henry Ashurst. AS
| little girl | used to look up to him as
something very far above me. When
| was fourteen years old my father
struck vein of ore which promised to
produce a fortune. l remember seeing
| certain holes that had been dug, but
| that was all l knew about the mine.
| Ny father died suddenly before his
| mine was developed enough to be sure
of its value Before passing away he
! asked Mrs Ashurst to take care OF
me and appointed Henry Ashurst my
! guardian. l was then fifteen, and Hen
! ry was twenty-eight.
| BY way of consoling me at the time
of my fathers death they told me that
| was heiress to large fortune in the
mine my father had discovered. | was
not consoled by the information. | was
! at an age where | could not appreciate
! the advantage of wealth. / only knew
| that | was alone in the world. At the
! same time | was fortunate in having
! home with two such persons as Mrs.
Ashurst and her son. They were both
very kind TO me. and l was assured
| that | was to remain with them always
| was still child in feeling, and my
bearing toward my foster father was
that of a child Had he been my real
father l could not have borne myself
any differently toward him. | always
| kissed him good night before going to
| bed and on meeting him in the morn
| ing. He often went either to Denver
| or to Georgetown, and sometimes when
he journeyed on horseback | went with
him. | had my own horse.
l went to school in the east, but not
! for long being homesick for those who
had taken the place of parents TO me,
and when | returned Il don't know
whether they or l were more delighted
at our reunion. Nevertheless, there
was different feeling between Henry
and me. While | was gone from home
/ had changed from a child to a wo-
man. There were no more father and
daughter kisses mornings and nights;
no more sitting on his lap while he
| told me stories. Besides, when we
went away from home together, Mrs.
Ashurst went with us.
1t was not long after my return from
school that / noticed anxiety on the
| faces of Henry and his mother. Some
| thing had gone wrong with them, but
they did not tell me what it was Never
theless. heard certain things that led
me to believe that Henry had been in
yesting the money he had made in cer-
tain properties that had turned out
worthless. and he and his mother were
! impoverished. This information came
to me about the time / reached my
eighteenth birthday. which was the age
when l could claim my property and
release my guardian.
One day Henry Ashurst called me
into the library. He was sitting at
desk with papers spread out before
! him. He placed chair for me beside
| him and began to tell me about my
! property.
Il have now to give an account to
you Of my stewardship" he said. II
| have been prudent in the management
of your estate, preferring to lease
rather than that it should be worked
by the owner. There are fourteen diff.
ferent lessees, and they are at present
paying royalties amounting TO about
$4,000. The expenses that you as
owner incur are about $4,000, leaving
you an income of $4,000"
and this is all mine; none of It
yours?'
Certainly. Your father and I were
good friends, although he was older
than l. He relied ON me TO take care
of the property for you and make II
pay you"
did he expect you to do this for
nothing?'
There was no provision made In the
will for compensation of guardian
you were then well off. weren't
your
Yes"
And you have since met with flnan-
cial losses?"
Il have"
II can't manage this estate" said.
Il must have husband to manage it
for me-"
He WINGED at this and asked me IL |
hal any one in view. / told him that
l had. There is man whom / dearly
love. propose to turn over the man.
agement of my property to him at
once. IL can win his love afterward
well and good"
He was evidently much disturbed at
this. but pulled himself together and
said that all was ready for the trans
fer, and had only to name his sue.
cessor.
81 desire' l replied. "that Won shall