American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-01-10
When Money
Talks
on

~ BERTHA r. MCDONALD

The little music fcncnef ran up Tue
stera OF the boarding house with q nut-
terin0 heart. for she had seen the gray
0pnt Of the postman disappearing
around the corner. The luttering
quickened into a brisk tattoo like the
beating Of tiny hammers, and by the
time she reached the hall table where
the letters were always laid II was like
the pulsation Of a mighty engine.
Yes, there was a letter, but the writ
Ing was not familiar. When she
reached the sacred precincts Of her
W room she read II and had just cast
It aside with q most contemptuous
sniR when there came a timId knock
Ut the door. When she called Come
In" the maid brought another letter
which In her haste she had overlooked.
Again her hope beat high, but this was
a more bitter disappointment than the
ihrst.
"Slckenlng-both OF them |" she mut-
tered. "Why D1ust l be made the tar
get for such pifiie7"
Angrily she thrust them inside her
desk, closed II with a bang and went
uVWu w Hikil1Efs 4 III CfEAiAAbf uitNt -
brisk walk through n little park near
by, the keen October air having
soothed her rufied spirits. she donned
q comfortable dressing gown and wrote
to her old friend. Mrs. De voss;
Dear Moilykins: 1t rests me Just
to write your name. II carries me back
TO the days when you were my sympn-
thetic mother confessor, and, Molly
kins, I've got to talk to YOU now, for
you are the only one who will under-
stand. I've worked so hard his past
year to bald up my GLASS and you've
heard how I've succeeded ven beyond
my widest dreams. But success isn't
everything. Even here seem destined
10 be nauseated with impossible things.
I've Just had two of the most sickenlng
proposals by letter that any girl ever
one or the other a second time had
not been sure that each man Ia counting
on my income to help support him.
Peace TO the ashes of their unsolicited
adorntioni | tell you, dear, l shnll
marry for money. I've seen the folly
Of not preparing for a rainy day and 1t
has coIored everything In the world
for me. When | put my head into the
matrimonial moose 1t will be when the
future Mr.. Bess CORTLAND ls ready to
hand me q checkbook on a nice, fat
bank account. Az 1t IL, ep~istolary eff
forts such as reached me today only
serve TO FRAGILE my disposition, Buck
cts OK slush,' Billy would call them. II
Ia needless for ms to tell you where
my heart lies, and he has never writ
ten me q line In all this long year. !
thought, OF course, when our crash
came and father died that Billy would
be the first to come TO me, and when
he left for Colorado without SO much
rs a good-by l was broken-hearted,
Now I've Joined the ranks OF those
who believe that money talks. | can
hear you call me flnty of heart, but
so win you be. Molly. II ever you come
to feel the dun, sIckening thud Of the
fall from the lap OF luxury to the cold,
stone tloor of poverty. | hope you
never may, Write me soon-your let
ters arv such comforts. Lovingly,
DBESS."
That night the little music teacher
cried herself TO sleep and the next
morning she said to herself. MS SHE
surveyed the pale face which looked nj
her with weary eyes from her mirror
"Don't you let me catch you weep
ing again over BILLY Dempster. He
doesn't care n fix about you aud h,
wouldn't weep over anybody"
by the time she reached the studio
she had fully made up her mind tina
she hated Bully cordially and .hat II h
should ever see ut to write her a lette
she would return II 10 him unopened
II was several days later that Il specl0
delivery letter. bearing a Colorad
postmark. reached Miss Courtlan,
and, after the messenger had gone, sh
stood gazing ut the envelope, scarcel
able TO believe her eyes. while "a
waiting pupil at the piano wondere
what was about to be disclosed.
"Billy's writing T. gasped the teacl
err "No-no-I'm getting foolish, {
course--it can't be-he doesn't kno'
my address. and yet T."
"Why don't you open it2' suggeste
her pupil. and forgetting her late d
termination 10 put Billy Dempster OF
Of her life forever. Bess tore open b
letter with fingers that tremhled ,
though abe might have the palsy.
Dear Bess." she read. u wrote
Molly De voss two weeks ago for yol
address and just got II today. Ho
are you. anyway 1t seems a lsfetin
since saw you. What are YOU DOH
and how do You like living in ca
cAgo7 Molly didn't answer a sing
question ! asked, so l shall wait an
iously to hear direct from you abo
your work. your h~usband-if you ha'
one In fact. tell me all about ever
thing. A ever. yours,
BILLY"
Miss Courtlnnd's black eyes snapp'
and she crushed the letter In her han
Ito write me a letter like that" u
gAspeA, 'after waiting a whole year