The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1920-03-19

| did him little creGit-'I hau . pian,
but It can't be worked ont. I have
been trying to raise q little money on
my lots. but the mortgage people just
look at me-"
"What is your plant" said Dave
kindly. ANY plan. no matter how
bad. Is always better than no plan"
II thought" said Merton timidly-
II thought IL I could build 4 little
shack on the lots I could live there
with the boy and we could raise q
very fine garden. The soil Is very fer
tile and at least we should NJ. starve.
And the gardening would 10 good for
me. and I could perhaps keep some
chickens and work out at odd jobs as
well. But it takes money to build
even q very small shack"
How much money! demanded
Dave.
III I had q hundred dollars"
Bring your title to me tomorrow;
to me personally. you understand. I'll
advance you five hundred dollars"
Merton sprang up. and there was
more enthusiasm in his eyes than had
seemed possible. "You Wilt But l
don't need that much"
"Then 3 the surplus to live on"
So the Merton affair was straight
ened away in q manner which left
Dave more at peace with his cor
science. But another event. much
more dramatic and far-reaching In its
effects upon his life. was already ripe
for the enacting.-
There were cases that could not
be turned away with a sharp answer.
Bert Morrison, for instance. Bert had
never mentioned her Investment"
since the occasion already recorded.
She greeted Dave with the sociability
due to their long-standing friendship;
and her calm avoidance of the subject
hurt him more than the abuse Of all
his irate patrons.
Business conditions had necessitated
unwonted economy in the Office affairs
Of Coward & Eden. as a result Of
which many old employees had been
laid OF and others had been replaced
by cheaper and less experienced labor.
Stenographers who had been receiving
a hundred dollars a month could not
readily bring themselves to accept
fifty. and some Of them had to make
way for new girls, fresh from the bust
ness colleges. Such a new girl was
Gladys Wardin-pretty. likable. mex
~perienced. Her country home had
offered no answer to her ambitions.
and she had come to the city with
the most dangerous equipment a young
woman can carry-an attractive face
and ar unsOphisticated confidence in
the goodness Of humanity. Coward
had been responsible for her position
in the office. and Dave had given little
thought to her except to note that she
was q willing worker and Of comely
appearance.
Returning to the Office one Saturday
evening Dave found Miss Wardin max.
ing up a bundle Of paper. pencils and
carbon paper. She was evidently in
high spirits, and he smilingly asked
II she intended working at home over
Sunday.
"Oh. didn't Mr.. Coward tell your"
she answered, as though surprised that
the good news had been kept q secret.
HE Is to spend a day or two at n
Of the mountain hotels, and I am to go
along to do his correspondence. Isn't
It just lovely? l have so wanted to 60
to the mountains. but never felt that
l could afford 1t. And now I a COM
bine business with pleasure"
The smile died out Of Dawes eyes,
and his face became more set and
stern than she had ever seen it.
"Why, what's the matter, Mr.. FL.
dent" she exclaimed. us anything
wrong7"
He found 1t hard to meet her frank,
unsuspecting eyes: hard to draw back
the curtains Of the world so much that
those eyes would never again be quite
30 frank and unsuspecting. "Miss
Wardin." he said. ibid Coward tell
You thatf'
"Whatf About going to the LOT
tains9 OF course. He said he was
taking some work with him. and he
wondered II I would mind going along
to do II. and he would pay the ex.
penses, and-and-" There was .
quick, hard catch In her voice. and she
seized Elden's arm violently. Her eyes
were big and round; her pretty face
had gone suddenly white.
.Oh. Mr.. Elden. you don't think
You don't think-that THAT he
You wouldn't believe that"
II think you are absolutely limo
cent" he said, gravely. sbut-lt's the
innocent thing that gets caught"
The girl had broken into violent
tears. "Whatever shall I dot What
can I dol" she moaned. "Oh, why
didn't somebody tell met What can
/ dog
He let her passion run on for . few
minutes, md then he sought. as gently