The Sneedville news. (Sneedville, Tenn.) 191?-19??, 1918-12-27
When Money
Talks
@@
By BERTHA r. MCDONALD

tSopyrlSnt, 1913, py Mcclure newspaper
Syndicate
The little music teacher ran up tn,
steps of the boarding house with fut
tering heart, for she had seen the gray
coat of the postman disappearing
around the corner. The fiutterinl
quickened into brisk tattoo like the
time she reached the hall table where
the letters were always laid IL was like
the pulsation of "a mighty engine.
Yes. there was a letter, but the writ
ing was not familiar. When she
reached the sacred precincts of her
own room she read II and had just cast
il aside with most contemptuous
sniff when there came a timid knock
at the door. When she called "Come
In" the maid brought another letter
which in her haste she had overlooked.
Again her hope beat high. hut this was
more bitter disappointment than the
first.
"Sickening-both of them !" she NUT
tered. "Why must be made the tar
get for such pilfie?"
Angrily she thrust them inside her
desk, closed II with a bang and went
down to dinner. That evening. after n
brisk walk through little park near
by, the keen October air having
soothed her ruffied spirits. she donned
d comfortable dressing gown and wrote
TO her old friend. Mrs. DE Voss:
"Dear MOllyklns: II rests me just
to write your name. II carries me back
10 the days when you were my sympa-
thetic mother confessor, and. Molly
kins, I've got to talk TO you now, for
you are the only one who Will under
stand. I've worked so hard this past
year 10 build up my class and you've
heard how I've succeeded even beyond
my widest dreams. But success isn't
everything. Even here seem destined
10 he nauseated with impossible things.
I've Just had two of the most sickening
proposals by letter that any girl ever
received. Possibly I might have read
one or the other second time had
not been sure that each man Is counting
on my income To help support him.
Peace To the ashes OF their unsolicited
alteration, tell you, dear. | shall
marry for money. I've seen the folly
Of not preparing for rainy day and II
has colored everything in the world
for me. When put my head into the
moose IL will be when the
future Mr.. BeSs CORTLAND is ready 10
hand me checkbook on nice, fat
bank account. As IL is. epistolary ef-
forts such as reached me today only
serve to frazZle my disposition. Buck
cts of slush.' Billy would call them. IL
Is needless for me To tell you where
my heart lies. and he has never writ
thought. of course. when our crash
came and father died that Billy would
be the first TO come Ia me. and when
he left for Colorado without So much
rs n good.by | was broken hearted.
Now I've Joined the ranks of those
who believe that money talks. can
hear you call me flnty of heart. but
81 will you be, Molly. II ever you come
10 feel the dull. sickcnlng thud of the
fnll from the lap of luxury to the cold,
stone floor of poverty. ! hope YOU
never may. Write me soon--your let
ers are such comforts. Lovingly.
"BESS."
That night the little music tencher
'ried herself 10 sleep and the next
morning she said 10 herself as she |
surveyed the pale face which looked at |
Ter with weary eyes from her mirror:
Don't you let me catch you weep |
ng again over Billy Dempstcr. He
doesn't care n fig about you aud he
weep over anybody"
by the time she reached the studio |
he had fully mnde up her mind that
he hated Billy cordially and that II he
hould ever see III Ia write her letter
ihe would return Il TO him unopened.
{ was several days later that special
delivery letter. bearing Colorado
,oSimark. reached Miss CORTLAND.
nd after the messenger had gone. she
TODD gazing ai the envelope. scarcely
s..> 10 believe her eyes. while the
...Ifing pupil at the piano wondered
ghn: was about 10 be disclosed
"Billy's writing" gasped the teach
r. "No-no-rm getting foolish. Of
ourse-it can't be-hc doesn't know
~ address. and yet l."
why don't you open ~ suggested
or pupil. and forgetting her late de-
To- put Billy DcmpSicr out
Z her life forever. Boss tore open his
liter with fingers that tremblcd a
hough -" might have the palsy.
Dear BesS" she read. Il wrote fo
folly he NoS~ two weeks ago for your
ddrcSs and just got It today How
~ you anyway u seems lifetime
nee ] saw YOU. What ARE you doing
nd how de- Won Ike ll,ing In chi
sgoi Molly didn't answer n siugf.
u"siion ] asked. ~ ] shall wait nn1
'u>lv g" hear direct from you about
nur work your husband Il you has.
ne: In fart. tell me all about every
hing A. ever. your.
BILLY"
Miss T"urtianG's black ewes snapped
hi she crushed the letter Boz her hand /