Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-03-26

she had set herself against my going
to France. She did not believe In war.
l was the only man left in the family.
She was far from well. If anything
should happen to her, my young Sis
ters had only me to look to. When
these pleas had failed to move me
she had not hesitated to remind me
that l was in her debt.
Unfortunately this was true. My
years at college had cost me more than
my small patrimony / had borrowed
freely from her, expecting soon to be
able to repay her. Like all young grad
yates l had vastly overestimated my
earning capacity. Three years had
elapsed and l still owed her eight hun
dred dollars.
81 do not see," she had written
me, "how you can honorably feel free
to go while you are in my debt. To
furnish you funds at college your
mother and sisters practiced many
economies. The girls are now reach
ing an age when their expenses will be
much greater. l need the money for
them. The least you can do is to pay
it back before you give up your posi-
ton and go off on wild-goose chases."
For this argument l could find no
answer. My obligation to her was
debt of honor that must be paid be-
fore could be my own master. Each
week had been putting away five dol
lars, and as it accumulated had been
! cQndinO hor q Y11nnou 0rdpr
While / was debating what to. do
1 began to read my mothers latest let
ter. The first part of it repeated her
many arguments. She wrote:
"Two days ago 1 received a letter
from my fathers brother, Rufus Gas
ton, upon whom you called when you
first went to New York. He asked
about you and made me a proposition
concerning you. / did not venture to
give him an answer. Your views and
mine are so seldom in accord. / gave
him your address and suggested that
he write to you himself. Probably he
has done so by this time"
Hastily / rescued my great-uncle's
crumpled note from the floor and
smoothed it out. If Rufus CASTOR
with his millions and no direct heir
had made proposition concerning me,
his letter took on a vastly more inter-
esting complexion. Carefully / reread
it, seeking for some hidden meaning
between the lines, but it gave no clue
to what he had in mind. He merely
expressed the hope that would be
able to dine with him and his wife in
formally next Thursday evening.
What could it mean? 1t was at
least well worth looking into. Mr..
CASTOR was seventy-four. He had made
a fortune in the South American trade,
retiring at sixty-five. There was only
himself and his wife. On the CASTOR
side, through my, mother, my sisters
aud / were the only blood relations.
I wondered if it could be that old
Rufus was thinking of making me his
heir-heir to the CASTOR millions
AS penned. a cordial acceptance of
his dinner invitation I determined to
set myself to pleasing the old couple
whom / had met only once, on the oc-
casion of my call. A few years ago
would have despised the thought of ca.
tering to wealth, but since had dis
covered how difficult it was to carr
money and how much more difficult to
save it, my views had changed.
I could hardly wait for the day ht
had set for me to dine with them tt
arrive. 1 found myself approaching
their residence fully three-quarters oi
al hour before the time named. Wher
l discovered how early was decided
t. loiter in the park for few min
utes. Old Rufus recently had giver
up his Avenue residence and now livet
in one of those stately apartment
buildings erected in the East Eighties
I turned into Central park opposite
my great-uncle's street and dropped
into the first bench l came to, deposit
ing beside me bunch of roses I haG
purchased as my first move towart
winning my great-aunt's affections
Lighting my pipe / gave myself VI
to pleasant reveries, from which / wa.
aroused by finding my roses tosset
suddenly to the ground at my feet.
Pardon me-" I said Indignantly
'but those belong to me-"
Benches amt for bundles" croaket
an evil voice beside me.
Recovering my flowers, turned t,
find seated beside me a rat-eyed youn,
fellow, cheaply dressed eycing me witt
an insolent stare. AS looked at hin
he began crowding over toward me
, Plainly it was his intention to oust m
: from the bench.
There's plenty of room on thos
other benches over there" I suggeste,
resentfully.
"Beat it yourself If you don't like /
here" he retorted, blowing the smok
!, from cheap cigarette in my face. L"
q got a date here, and I'm going to stay
see"
/ answered with an angry retort an,
hot words followed. We had almos
come to blows when the bushes OF
posite us suddenly parted. 1 caugh
sight for just a second of a villainou
:, face, that of a man about forty, Al
;, unforgettable face with a red sea
across the left cheek. He raised on
finger in an imperative gesture, signal
i ing to my unwelcome companion O
u the bench. With a profane exclams
! ton of dismay, the rat-eyed felloN
e sprang up and walked hastily ava
i along the park path. Wonderin
y what it was all about, I watched hir
out of sight around a turning of tn
u asphalt and then glanced toward tn
y apartment house where in few mil
utes l was to be a guest
> . AS 1 looked a young girl came OF
Of the house and walked slowly t.
ward the park. At the corner sh
= hesitated. She seemed to be debatin
= whether to continue on down the av,
:, nue. or to turn into the park. Appa
= emily the lure of the greenery won he
:, for she came on slowly toward whel
81 l was sitting. AS she drew nearer
= observed her with interest. for st
,s was one Of the prettiest girls eve
had seen. Her slim figure her daint