The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-09-01
An UnaCCOuntable
Prosperity
By ALAN HINSDALE

porting nerSelf by teaching. she owed
me, but of course marriage between us
was out of the question. One after
noon l was sitting on a bench in a
park with other homeless, voorhees,
men. A man sitting beside me got up,
leaving a newspaper behind him. l
took it up mechanically and tried to
read some of the items In it, prin-
cipally to relieve my mind from gloom.
Suddenly my eye caught sight of my
own name. 1t was among a few per-
sonals. 1t said that If l would send my
address to Murray & Field, agents, 1
would hear something to my advan-
tage. l would have concluded that the
ad. was for some other person of SINH
lar name, but my name Is an odd one
and my two surnames are also un-
usual.
I lost no time in calling on Murray
& Field and found that they were
agents for a wooden mill In New Eng
land. I handed in the ad. which l had
taken from the newspaper and was
shown into Mr.. Fields Office. Without
saying anything to me he took down a
letter file, withdrew q letter and read
1t over. Then he put it back In its
place and said to me:
DO you want a position"
said that l most %assuredly did want
a position very badly. He told me that
he had been directed by an officer of
the mills he represented to send me to
them. Opening a drawer in his desk,
he took out 500 and handed it to me.
l gasped some questions, but he said
he knew nothing about the matter ex-
cept that he had been instructed to ad-
vertise for me. l took the $40 and
spent one of them for a meal. With
the rest l paid my way to the mills.
When l got there l was received by
the secretary and put in a room by
myself, the door standing open. After
remaining there about half an hour l
was conducted to the Office of the sec
rotary, who told me that If l wanted
work l could have it. l asked him
questions, with the same result as be-
fore.
l was given a job on q small salary,
but the salary was increased rapidly.
Within six months after being en-
ployed l was receiving 500 a month,
and then my salary was doubled. l did
all l could to earn 1t, but l am not al
unbiased judge as to whether | sue
ceeded. However, 1 liked my work
and felt that l was fitted for it. One
day l asked If l might consider my sal
airy permanent, and on being told that
1t was | wrote my sweetheart that |
was ready to marry her If she was
ready to marry me. She replied that
she was, and l obtained leave to go
and get married.
Before leaving l was handed a check
for $1,000, which 1 was told was for
immediate use. l was given every
thing | desired except information as
to why l was favored. To my ques-
tons on this point l received only ST.
lence. Before my return from my
honeymoon | was informed that a
house had been provided for me, and
on my arrival one of the employees Of
the mills conducted me to it, and when
we were inside he handed me a deed
for the property, which was worth
about $4,000.
My wife insisted that there was a
fairy godmother who was ~showering
on me all these blessings, but l did not
believe any such thing.
One day the secretary of the COM
pany told me that l was wanted at a
certain house, to which he would con-
duct me. l felt it In my bones that 1
was to receive an explanation of my
good luck or kind treatment, and while
being driven to my destination l was
forming theories to account for 1t. l
was driven up to a handsome dwelling,
alighted, and when in the house was
taken upstairs to a room where an old
man lay in bed. He looked at me
steadily as 1 approached him, motioned
me to take 6. chair close by him, and
then said to me:
81 am your fathers brother. You
probably never heard of my existence,
for l an away from home when a
boy, and | have understood that my
name was never mentioned in the FAM
lily. You are the only living person
sprung from that stock. l I'M unmar-
ried and have no children. l advertis-
ed for you, through you to make some
atonement for my desertion when a
boy. l own the controlling interest in
the mills where you are employed. 1
have but a short time to live, and at
my death you will inherit my stock in
the company. 1t occurred to me that
you should be trained to manage the
property, and I took my own way of
training you"
I have no remembrance of what reply
I made to this announcement. I was
Sc full of SO many emotions that
doubt if I said anything to the point.
My uncle had exhausted himself In
saying what he did to me and as o
as he had finished a nurse intimated to
me that I was to retire.
My imparting the news to my wife
1-