Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-05
CHAPTER VIII
A Santa Claus Held Up

Z Dear Ned m Rldu tneTe OHlS Olie
more month to wait. / feel like Santa
. Claus with a box of toys held up by a
enowdrift. and / just can't walt to see
the children dance-when they get them.
"And let me say right here and now
how glad 1 am that did this thing. oh:
yes. I'll admit ! still feel like the small
boy at the keyhole, at times. perhaps
but I'll forget that-when the children
"And. really, never have I seen a
bunch of people whom ! thought little
money would do more good to ia than the, the
regret is that I didn't know about MISS
Maggie Duff. SO that she could have had
some, too. (Oh, yes, I've found out all
dear-the typical self-sacrificing self
effacing bearer of everybodys burdens,
including a huge share. of her own y
However, she isn't Blsisdeil, or course.
so / couldn't have worked her into my
scheme very well. I suppose, even II
had known about her. They are all FOND
of her-though they impose on her time
and her sympathies abominab,y. But
the others thousands. Mrs. Jane. in
particular, is always wishing she could
do something for Poor Maggie so i |
right.
.'As to who will prove to be the wisest
handler CT the hundred thousand. ana
thus my eventual heir. l haven't tne ',
least idea. AS 1 said before, they al
to he comfortable and happy, I mean.
They aren't really poor, any or then eN,
cept, perhaps. Miss Flora S She Is .r d
little hard up, poor soul Bless her
heart, / wonder what she'll get hrst
Niagara. the photograph, or sGmethrnis
to eat without looking at the price .hraa psa
/ ever write you ABOUT ''io'e
~ can't see that any of the family are
really extravagant, unless, periN ps. IL
Mrs. James-'Hattie she in Is anno'Ii2r little
hevond her means, I judge, But that
viii be ali right, Of course, when she mas
the money to crafty her tastes Jill
tt.Te ttTS Il easv, for once He reminds me
Of the old horse 1 saw the other aaH ~,
running one of those internal treaonnnil !. !.
threshing machines-aiWays spins' ks and and
works hard. and then he. gets 1op
nights and works harder pnt ne ,ncy ner..
mite catches up with his bllls' l ia.lIs y,
WITH that hundred thousand! / can near
him draw the long breath no"-ior o'''
every bill paid ,, p,o,sdelis are
"Of course the Frank k,ncS@at b.Ssti least,
Mrs Frank. Jane is-and l dare Say
thew would be the most conservative i Il
handlers Of my millions Lion he bgI gIad d'' to see
tsn,,, tsi, eniov themselves meanwhile with
the h,,ndred thousand. Maybe Mrs. JAM
viii he constrained to clear my IV3sIi ,p,io. ~
n few OF the mats ana coNI' hau surely
t.na vacation from her everlastlns
we can't afford it, and her equaiiy o'ev enu
lasting, OF course; il d- ! mao aSat !@Mand @ It'll
h Ia Worth So m a hundred thousand to me- be-
lieve me, Ned. ,.,,a- I'm not sure
how he will take it; ,ld,, ~ 'sn see, : and and I'm
peas pes posted % as to his opinion OF on'a much 81
of p' ANYTHING else. He'll spend some Son't Gt
II, though-I'm sure OF tnas, q a,nnreciates
t;s tiisnw xife's thrifty ideas of economy
.1 haven't forgotten the night Ga,,ie in
~ao nnce TO find Mrs. Jane out ca ca ~ q
and Mr., Frank rampaging afoumhqb as,,m Hast,
house with h. ewery was packing ses W his bag to go
~, ~ hurried business trip. he laus nev 'ev
little sheepishly-I suppose, ,,n,'s;na ne srn ton
thinking amazement at the haina tired
and said something about pelhg ,Stcbl i
=, aiwavs feeling his way through pI,J;t
Sarr rooms. So, as I say, I'm not qutte =
enre of MT Frank when he comes LIS I.SS
possession of the hundredd AN ,hos sn long he
,,,av want to blow in the whole hunaIe ,tnet
thousand in one grand blare Oh orryM nsn.
However, reckon ! needn an turn some
he'll still have Mrs. Jane-to 'u'"
of the gas jets down ,or,t;on-
"As for the younger generataI i',st
tbey,re fine, every one OF them anu ia,,, Sa
think what this money ass ntares wail nfa Jims SON
Fred eighteen, is a fine, many p; %eSe
He.s got his mothers ambitions; and ne :
keen FOR college-even talks OF rnnrS
his way (much to his mother av no, to I,
~ his father can't find the money W. ~
send him. OF course, that part Will 'e
Ali right now-in a month
,rbe daughter. Bessie (almost seven
teen), is an exceedingly preoS oo mucb so
nerhaps, for her happiness IN ths pn1,rsa
etate Of their pocketbook. But 81 course aT,
that, too, will be all right; s,r aloIs rlols vii vii
hs Concerned as little as any one oTel ,1i
mai 500. 900, imagine. The real Saiut "
~ the gift he will not apprecia.e' " "
course; in fact, Ia, dSsot Sia privileges i lie as {
meals and manners be stiil fST.ner MaiiirsntM ntl
tained. Poor Benny! Now, Melicenrw en- ar
Perhaps in no one 90 da ! in gHPee moor Ii little X
nIea sure e-starved Mellicent. l realize. "a, o!
Course. that 1t will mean to her the soiiS
advantages of college, muslc-CuI.uis al, AZ,
travel: but l must confess that IN my
dearest vision, the child is revellng II
one grand whirl of pink dresses ane
chocolate bonbons. Bless her Gear ~ men5. adv
/ gave her one five-pound D9x ,ott ot o'"s Ne
sides enduring the manifestly suspiciou
disapproval of her mother because daa Ha
made the gift, l have had the oaiat aEe te
torment of seeing that box OF chocoiate
So,ed out to that poor child at the rat
NJ two pieces a day. They aren't gon
vet hut I'll warrant they're as hard
6ullets--those wretched bonbons;
piclxed the box up yesterday. You shoui
have heard 1t rattle!
.Iu.t there Is yet another phase OF IN
moray business in connection with Meu
cent that pleases me nightly. A eel
tain youta by the name OF Carl Pennoc
has been beauing her around good dea
since / came The Pennocks have SON
money-s5O,0 900, or SO, believe-and
is reported that Mrs. Pennock has pu
her foot down on the budding romano
-because the Blaisdells have not &c
money enough (Begin to see where m
chuckles come in?) However true IN
report may be. the fact remains that IN
youth has not been near the house for
month past. nor taken Meilicent any
where. OF course, 1t shows MN ana n
family up-for just what they are D,
II has been mortifying for poor Nell
cent. She's showing her pluck Ike
little trump, however, ard goes serehe
on her way with her head just enoue
= in the air-but not too much.
II don't think Meilcent's real heart
Affected in the least-shes s only eigntee
remember-but her pride Is. And h.
mother! Mrs. Jane is thorough
angry as well as mortified She sa
Mellieent is every whit as good as tho
Peunocks and that the woman WI
'4 would let a paltry thing like mon'
stand I'm the way of her sons affection
u . pretty small specimen. FOR her pal
~ never did have any . use for or rlen ga tess ~
q ~ x;or I'm afraid Mrs, Jane vi
n ~ when che said thai. Hoy