The daily Alaskan., 1917-01-26
A Tanners
 Son
His Father and Mother Stood bu Him With
 Parental Affection
Bu GREGORY MOORE

They say that doctors and clergymen see more of humanity as it is than any other class Of men, but question If the endless panorama of incidents typlfying 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 6 term bf-years. l am the repository of one such story that I watched fron'tts beginning to its climax.
 One afternoon a weather beaten old farmer with silky white hair scattered over bis head came to my .deak and, pulling out a wallet asked for a draft on Denver for $200 in favor of Thomas Williams. He counted out the money, and then, having nothing Co do while the draft was being rrepaRed, began to tell me the beginning of this story.
 "pm sendtn' the m0usy," he said, ito my boy out in Colorado. He weRt out there a year ago, stakin' Some money with him that I 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 prusPectin' and struck somepin that locked good, but some other fellers jumped his claim, whatever that means, ana took 1t all away from him.
 'Then Tom got sick Rg'tn and went to horseplttls and stayed there three months. Now he's got 'oue of the horsepittle and lookin' about for Son1e- pin. I'm rsendin' -shis money to give him a chanct. Toms his ln20thers pet and she lays awake nights worrytn about him. I'm mighty fond of the boy myself somehow.
 "When he got old enough to work I wanted him to help mo on the farm. He tried it for awhile, but I see purty quick he didn't take to it. He was too smart to be contented to follow e blow same 8 his father, who didn't never get no eddication. So 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 1t was better for him and let him go.
 "Tom didn't like it in town 90 well as he thought he would. Leastaways 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 a fight with one of the head clerks and got himself discharged. He said the head clerk accused him Of stealth some money.
 From 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 scFaped 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 be began to count over hls 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 1t in his wallet, crammed the wallet down into the bottom of lis pocket and with "GOodby, MT. Cashier" left the bank.
 The second chapter of the story is very short There is hardl s%t9 ugh in 1t to make a chapter, but t.cre is a good deal beneath the few words re- uuired to tell it. A girl Of eighteen came to the bank, laid down 'S24, near ly all in silver coin, and asked for draft to cover the amount.
 'eTo whom will you have it made payableT' I asked.
 From Williams" in a soft voice, al- most whisper.
 ordered the draft made out, and the girl stood waiting. Unlike the farmer, she didn't'tell all l would have liked to know, so l asked:
 "Is Tom Williams your brother|
 "No," she replied, looking down on the floor.
 I had not liked the indications as to Toms character as they appeared in his fathers account of him, .atid now that money was goiHg2to him from his sweetheart began to sdespise htJn. l handed the girl the draft and had a good opportunity to study her, for she never once looked tip at me. She went out with it 'hugged 'tip against her heart, as though Bte loved 1t because she had saved5ifGf9r Ten.
 My next visitor in behalf of Tom was his mother. She stood by my desk .emptying on 1t from 0 carpetbag a lot of bills and silver and copper coins. Not knowing who she Was, asked what i should do with the mon, ey, and she said, Fsehd 'iE to Tom. By this time l was net likely to forget Tom and asked if she wished a draft for Thomas Williams. She said She did, I turned her funds over to a