The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-06-04
when 'and4If"
~
By r. RAY BAKER

Copyright. 1918, By the Mcclure Newspa-
per syndicate.J
Arthur Calkins had dark gray eyes;
q Job as day clerk In the Winton ho-
tel. wavy. light brown hair. no parents.
a care-free nature, two hundred thou
sand dollars almost-and two pros
pective brides.
The gray eyes he ACQUIRED from bis
mother. the brown In frqh - faith
er. the sunny dispositoh from Both.
BE obtained the hotel JOB when grief
over the death Of Mrs. callins 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. II by that time
he was married to Winfred Sheldon,
daughter Of Herbert Sheldon. who had
found some half million profit ip lum-
Der. Mr.. CallzIns stipulated In the will
that his son was not to get the inheri-
lance 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
bis parents had approved so heartily
that the ''ff'' clause was put ip the
win 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
trifler or 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
~ attractive girls-was the one.
Tuesdays and Thursdays be 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 cit behind the hotel desk
seven days a week. As the two ladies
lived In different cities. about sixty
miles apart, and as they moved In dis
finctly different social circles. neither
became aware Of the existence Of
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 Bheldon II he finally decided in
favor Of Miss Fox. There was some
way. he told himself, to arrange II so
Miss Sheldon would break the engage
ment.
Arthur lived In Lansing. while the
Sheldons' home was ip ST. Johns. q
small city about twenty miles north,
and the Foxes resided 10 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 Il was nearing the time when he
must marry Miss Sheldon or else
the two hundred thousand, held In
trust by Benjamin Trueman. a life
long friend Of Mr.. Caikins. would go to
charity. Another reason was that the
subject Of announcing engagements
had been limited several times Of late
by both the Sheidons and Foxes.
Thus matters stood one morning
when Arthur walked into the hotel.
went behind the desk. hung up his coat
and hat. stuck pencil behind his ear.
glared at the bellboy doing on bench
and received the greatest shock he had
evef experienced before or after the
death Of his parents.
As he bent over the register hts
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 were:
Benjamin Trueman,
Lawyer, Dies Suddenly.
Arthur stared duly at the paper
without seeing q 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 previ-
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
premonitions 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
the trouble that he felt would soon end
his life.
Arthur felt genuinely sorry, because
Mr.. Trueman had been snch a close
nle0Q OK ut5 lhtnch uftb utoV DCCuubS
ne himself had been fond OF the old
man. II was not until later In the day,
however. that he became apprehensiye
that his own destiny might be affected
BY Trueman's losses. 1t was sug-
aested to him by the proprietor of the
hOtal.
"Its too bad boy" said the latter
aOld Trueman must have used up all
that coin of yours. But don't worry
about the futurei you can have this
Job as long as you want It."
Thanks" Arthur responded, more
dryly than gratefully. and went out to
Investigate. He learned that not O
single valuable paper or cent Of cur
rency had been found In Mr.. Trueman's
Office or In the adjoining apartments
where the lawyer had led his lonely /
life. Arthur spent restless night. he
had been counting on that money. par
ttcuiarly as he anticipated becoming
some ones husband-just whose was
not yet to be determined.
n the afternoon he went walking