Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-08
Author of "POLlyanna"

| husbafN should invest large part Of
il in the bonds he so wanted. leaving a
generous sum in the bank in her own
name. She was assured that the bonds
were just as good as money. anyway,
as they were the kind that were readily
convertible into cash
Mrs. Jane, when she understood the
matter. was for investing every cent
Of theirs where It would draw the largest
interest possible. Mrs. Jane had never
before known very much about interest
and she was fascinated with its de-
igntful possibilities. She spent whole
days joyfully figuring percentages. and
was awakened from her happy absorp-
ton only by the unpleasant realization
that her husband was not in sympathy
with her ideas at all. He said that the
money was his not hers. and that for
his way. His way" in this case proved
To he the prompt buying out of the COM
noting grocery on the other corner and
the establishing Of good-sized bank
account. The rest Of the money he said
Jane might invest for 100 per cent If
Sh" wanted to.
Jane was pleased to this extent and
asked if II were possible that she could
get such n splendid rate as 100 per
cent. She had not figured on that She
ton and the bankers told her what she
could Eet-with safety and she was
very angry because they finally appealed
to her husband and she was obliged to
content herself with a paltry or G per
cent when there were such lovely mining
stocks and oil wells everywhere that
would pay so much more.
She told Flora that she ought to thank
her stars that she had the money her
self in her own name. to do just as she
pleased with, without any oldfogy men
bossing her
But Flora only shvercd and said.
Mercy me - and that, for her part.
she wished she didn't have to say what
to do. with il. She was scared of her
life of it. anyway, and she was just sure
she should lsse it whatever she did with
il, and she most wished she didn't have
II. only it would he nice. Of course. to
buy things with it--and she supposed
she would buy things with It after a
while when she got used to it and was
not afraid to spend it,
Miss Flora was indeed, quite breath
less most of the time. these days. She
men who were helping her. no trouble.
and she showed herself eager always to
take their advice. But she wished they
would not ask her opinion: she was al
ways afraid to give it, and she didn't
have one. anyway; only she did worry.
of course. and she had to ask them
sometimes if they were real sure the
places they had put her money were
perfectly safe. and just couldn't blow
up. It was so comforting always to see
them smile, and hear them say; Per
fectly, my dear Miss Flora. perfectly.
Give yourself no uneasiness." To he
Chalmers. did snap out: mo. madam:
only the Lord Almighty can guarantee a
Government bond-the whole country
tomorrow morning :"
She was startled. terribly startled but
she saw at once. of course, that II must
he Just his way of joking, for, of course.
there wasn't any volcano big enough to
blow up the whole United States and.
anyway. she did not think 1t was nice
of him. and it was almost like swearing,
to say the Lord Almighty" in that tone
of voice. She never liked that fat man
again. After that she always talked to
Mr.. Chalmers, or to the other man with
wart on his nose
Miss Flora had never had a check
hook before. but she tried very hard to
learn how tn use II. and to show herself
not too stupid. She was glad there were
such a lot of checks in the book. but
all-such a lot of money. She had had
q savings bank book. to be sure. but she
had nor been able to put anything in
the bank for long time. and she had
been worrying a good deal lately for fear
she would have to draw some out busi-
ness had been so dull But she would
not have to do that now. of course with
al TINS money that had come to her.
They told her that she could have all
the money she wanted by just filling out
one of the little slips in her checkbook
the way they had told her to do it, and
taking 1t to Mr.. Chalmers's bank-that
there waiting for her to spend. just as
she liked; and that, when they were
gone, Mr.. Chalmers would tell her how
TO sell some of her bonds and get more
1t seemed very wonderful,
There were other things. too, that they
mad told her-toO many for her to re-
member-somsthing about interest. and
things called coupons that must be cut
off the bonds at certain times. She
tried to remember it all: but Mr. Chal-
mers had been very kind and had told
her not to fret. He would help her when
the time came. Meanwhile he had
rented her a nice tin box that pulled
out like drawer) in the safety deposit
vault under the hank, where she could
keep her bonds and all the other papers
such a lot of them that Mr.. Chal-
ners told her she must keep very care.
fully.
But 1t was all so new and complicated
ana everybody was always talking at
No wonder. indeed. that Miss Flora
vas quite breathess with it all.
. By the time the Blaisdells found them
ton. or to anything outside their own
astounding personal affairs, they became
suddenly aware of the attention Hitler
ton was paying to them.
/ The whole town was agog The
grocery store. the residence of Frank
/ Blaisdell and Miss Flora's humble cot
tage might he found at nearly any day
light hour with from one to a dozen curl
, ouS-eyed ga2ers on the sidewalk before
. them. The town paper had contained
an elaborate account of the bequest and
the remarkable circumstances attending
it: and Hllerton became the mecca OF
wandering automobiles for miles around
Big metropolitan dailies got wind of the
affair, recognized the magic name of
Stanley q. Fulton, and sent reporters
post-haste to Hillerton.
Speculation as to whether the multi
millionaire was really dead was preVa-
lent everywhere and search for some
clue to his reported South American eX-
plOring expedition was undertaken in
several quarters Various rumors con-
cerning the expedition appeared immedi-
ately. but none of them seemed to have
any really solid foundation. Interviews
with the great law firm having the
handling of Mr.. Fulton's affairs were