Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1919-06-26
Held In Trust
By ZoLA FORESTER

turned of Nassau street into Liberty.
How narrow II was down here, and
how like canyons, with the great dull
gray walls towering so closely to-
gether on each side Of her. She won
dered how on earth Truesdale could
spend half his life In such a place.
Yet In a way he was like It, deter
mined and silent. Even before her
father died, when she was only twelve,
she remembered him as a young man
who rarely smiled. Her aunt had al
ways said he was so reliable and
steady-qualities which had never rec
commended him to Barbara's favor.
She went up in the elevator now with
a feeling of relief that she was twenty
one and his guardianship was ended at
last.
Allan was alone in his inner office
waiting for her, the clerk said. She
glanced around 1t curiously as she
sank down in the leather armchair he
drew forward. 1t was tall and narrow
and somber like the street outside.
Only a ~lat-topped desk seemed to
show any human interest. In a copper
urn was a bunch of arbutus, and a
little squat silver figure Of a Chinese
mandarin perpetually made obelsance
on an inkstand.
"Tye been planning to do so many
things that I never dared even to men
ton before" she told him happily. II
want to go somewhere and build my
self a wonderful mountain bungalow
and have horses and O sort Of play
ranch. And then / want to give Aunt
Cecilia q solid annuity so she won't feel
as If her whole life was to be spent
keeping one eye on me. And I'd like to
Just sell out the whole business so l
won't have to look after anything at
all, and I thought I'd love to found an
orphanage or something like that"
Allan listened attentiyely, but with
no smile on his close lips. He was
marking star shapes on his blotter and
watching the clock above her head now
and then. 1t was nearly four. He Won
dered If he would have time to tell
her before Yates arrived.
"When Mr.. Curtis died his affairs
were in a very tangled state" he said.
"He always suspected lawyers and his
death came so suddenly there was no
chance for him to attend to anything
or to explain anything"
"What was there to explainT asked
Barbara, with a touch of her fathers
quick pride.
Much" answered Allan tersely.
"He had been persuaded to tie up his
money in a lot of unsafe speculation,
and had borrowed heavily to cover his
own outstanding liabilities. These OBJ
legations to banks and friends had to
be paid out of the estate. A few of
us who had been close to him carried
ours under interest"
did father eve W you money!
"Some. 1 was very glad to help
him."
: He turned his attention to a mass
of papers at his elbow, sorting and
arranging them for her perusal, while
Barbara was undergoing a mental re-
adjustment. 1t had never occurred to
her that Tom Curtis, her'father, could
possibly be under obligations to any
one. He had seemed to rule that end
of the state politically, and there had
been his railroad, and-oh, it was alb
surd to talk so. She looked at Allan
aggressively.
81 don't see how 1t could be true
"You will find everything here" he
told her a bit YEARLY. ''There is moth
ing for you to worry over, Barbara,
You may not be able to found your
orphanage, but you could still have a
bungalow. Another thing I should tell
you before we part as ward and guar
dian. Paulton Yates has told me you
are engaged to be married."
Barbara did not look at him this
time. Only from his voice she could
tell that he did not ARE one single
bit. He went on talking to her in the
same impersonal, aloof way he had
always used ever since he had found
her on the veranda with Paulton. AND
1t had been so perfectly silly to imag
Inc she cared for him seriously. He
always took things for granted. There
came a call for him In the outer office
and he left her alone just as Yates
arrived. Allan told him he would fine
Barbara within. But it was a different
Barbara who faced him from the Cir
he had danced with, ridden with, flirt
ed with for the past year.
She was not engaged to him at all
she told him Indignantly. He had hat
no right to tell her guardian that sh'
was. And Paulton. stung by her tom
and manner, laughed at her faith IL
+. Truesdale.
Everybody knows he's played fas
and loose with your money, Bah. Wha
have you got left now? I've Away
cared for you. you know that, and i
doesn't matter about money with me
only I want you to drop Truesdale."
Allan. on the threshold of the QUITE
door, heard her answer, and caugh
Yates muttered curse as he left hel
1t was like him to do it that way h
thought, lose his temper and accus
him of wrongdoing.
And he was really a very decent
solid sort of fellow who wouldn't max
her a bad husband at all, since sh
= L