The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-18
CONNECTICUT BOY
 GAINS PROMINENCE

Norwich, Conn.-Men in the office of the North British and Mercantile Insurance Company in New York city will be surprised to learn that their old time manager, the late Henry Eek eDrd Bowers, cherished secret TO- nance throughout his long and active life.
 aEr. Bowers was native of Nor- wich. Back in the days before the Civ il War, when his family resided in the unpretentious section of Norwich known as ''The Falls" young Bowers was student at Norwich Free Acad- erny, graduating with the class of 1e62. His vacations were spent in work of different sorts, sometimes iD offices in the neighboring mills.
 Poor, but proud" when he fell iH love with the daughter of Christopher c. Brand, who had amassed what was then considered a. large fortune through his invention of a whaling gun and bomb lance, he kept his se- cret to himself
 Suet Cher intimates called her) Brand was destined to wed far up in the social scale, on a plane to which young Bowers had then little hope of climbing.
 Through his attractive personality Henry Bowers got employment with the Norwich Fire Insurance Company, of which Ebenezer Learned was the treasurer. That gave the ambitious boy bis first real boost toward success.
 When he went from Norwich to New YoraK it meant d dazzling rise for him, and he made good in the New York office just as he had done with his home town company.
 But he was still far from occupying a position to which he could propose to Miss Sue Brand with any hope of success. A struggling insurance agent did not figure very prominently in the estimation of pompous, prosperous Hapa Brand.
 Their young friends always fancied that the pretty Sue had a secret corner in her heart for the country boy, for she turned down suitor after suitor; but that was all that ever seemed to come of their romance.
 Mir. Bowers worked on quietly and steadily, but with the coming of suc- ceas came also failing health. He gave up his New York position and went to Boston.
 There was a young woman nurse, a cousin, of whom he thought much. and he asked her to become his com- panion and to care for him in his ill., ness. Propinquity had it's usuAl effect, and after a number of years invalid and nurse were married.
 When MT. Bowers died his estate was left subject to the life use of his widow. Her death during the early months of the present year has freed the money for distribution.
 Meantime, since Brands parents and other relatives had died, the fam ny fortune had dwindled through bus' lneas reverses and Miss Brand had loft her native Norwich to make he1 hozne in Springfield where she has k,neGoIk.
 When the will of Henry E, Bowers Eas read. it showed thar he had Jeff ovaR 46O,000 to the old school, where he had received his education, tht
 nrwSah Fcae Academy, a good sum tC bo aAetsnt Otis Library and the Eliza
 unEangtop Memorial Home fol
 pG&hy Episcopal women in the cit! Af NoevaGh, generous bequests to {
 KnbeR of cousins, and to Miss Bran( iR elaaze of his estate sufficient to re lNtORe her to that plane of comfort
 WoR tRxAry, to which she had beel kncauk0rnad, She inherits much of thu
 ea1Eh of the men who vainly lovec AsR tn their youth,
 l.