The Twin City star., 1918-05-25
when" n"and'EIf"
~
By r. RAY BAKER
copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure Newspa-
sf per Syndicate.)

1ee&3e$&ese$ee$esess sssessessSs$$s$s$s$
(Copyright, 1918, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate.)
Arthur Calkjps had dark gray eyes;
a Job as day clerk in the Winton ho-
tel. wavy. light brown hair, no parents,
care-free nature, two hundred thou
sand dollars-almost-an two pros
pective brides.
The gray eyes he acquired from his
mother. the brown hair from his faith
er. the sunny disposition from both.
He obtained the hotel job when grief
over the death of Mrs. Calkins claimed
her husband three months after her
demise. That was when Arthur was
twenty-four.
The two hundred thousand dollars
was bequeathed to Arthur by his faith
er-"when" and "if."
The young man was to receive the
small fortune on his twenty-seventh
birthday anniversary, If by that time
he was married to Winfred Sheldon,
daughter of Herbert Sheldon, who had
found some half million profit in lum-
Der. Mr.. Calkins stipulated in the will
that his son was not to get the inheri-
tance unless he had lived on his own
resources up to his twenty-seventh
birthday and unless Miss Sheldon had
become his wife. provided, 1t was stat
ed in the dOcument-Miss Sheldon her.
self did not break the engagement.
Arthur had become bethrothed to her
on the day he cast his first vote, and
his parents had approved so heartily
that the "if'' clause was put In the
will in an attempt to seal the bargain.
To what extent Arthur considered the
clause as sealing was shown when, In
his twenty-sixth year, he asked Miss
Geraldine Fox, cafeteria cashier, to
become his bride.
Now, Arthur was by no means a
trifier or a crusher Of maiden's hearts,
at least not Intentionally. He felt that
he was sincere In both cases. He be-
lieved in the doctrine that no man can
love more than one woman at time,
besides his mother, but he was having
difficulties in deciding which Of these
particular two-bOth of them decided
ly attractive girls-was the one.
Tuesdays and Thursdays he called on
Miss Sheldon and on Wednesdays and
Fridays he paid visits to the home Of
Miss Fox. All of his wooing was done
in the evening, Of course, for he was
Obliged to sit behind the hotel desk
seven days week. AS the two ladies
lived in different cities, about sixty
miles apart, and as they moved in dis
tinctly different social circles, neither
became aware of the existence of a
rival.
Nor was Miss Fox or her widowed
mother cognizant Of that marriage
clause in the Calkins will. Arthur felt
that he would find means to "get rid"
of Miss Sheldon If he finally decided in
favor of Miss Fox. There was some
way, he told himself, to arrange 1t so
Miss Sheldon would break the engage
ment.
Arthur lived in Lansing, while the
Sheidons' home was in st. Johns, a
small city about twenty miles north,
and the Foxes resided in Jackson, a
fairly gOOd-sized municipality some
what smaller than Lansing, and ap-
proximately forty miles south Of the
latter place.
At the time this story opens Arthur
was getting worried. One reason was
that it was nearing the time when he
must marry Miss Sheldon or else
the two hundred thousand, held in
trust by Benjamin Trueman, life
long friend of Mr.. Calkins, would 60 to
charity. Another reason was that the
subject of announcing engagements
had been limited several times of late
by both the SheldOns and Foxes.
Thus matters stood one morning
when Arthur walked into the hotel,
went behind the desk, hung up his coat
and hat, stuck a pencil behind his ear,
glared at the bellboy doing on bench
and received the greatest shock he had
ever experienced before or after the
death Of his parents.
As he bent over the register his
glance swept overland then went back
to-a folded newspaper that lay on the
desk. A headline in the obituary col
umn rose right up and smote him be-
tween the eyes. The top lines Of the
head we're:
Benjamin Trueman,
Lawyer, Dies Suddenly.
Arthur stared DULY at the paper
without seeing word for the space Of
several moments, then came to himself
and perused the story which informed
him that the aged attorney had been
found dead in his Office late the prevl-
GUS evening by cleaning woman.
The doctor. who was summoned, said
heart failure had caused his death, and
a letter, written the day before and
left on the desk, showed that he had
known of his condition and had had
preinOnitions Of his death. The letter
said that he (Mr. Trueman) had lost
every cent he possessed by speculation
and that worry over this had caused