Charlevoix county herald., 1920-02-20
Wustra4ioAs
BY
IrwinMyers
h William
Johnston

furnish you FUNDS at cOHeBe 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 Tor
them. The least you can do Is to pay
il back before you give up your posi-
ton and go off on wild-goose chases."
For this argument / could find no
answer. My obligation to her was
debt OF honor that must be paid De-
fore ! could be my own master. Each
week I had been putting away I'VE dol
lars. and as 1t accumulated had been
sending her a money order.
While 1 was debating what TO do
began to read my mothers latest let
ter. The first part of IT repeated her
many arguments. She wrote:
1.-TWO days ago j received letter
from my fathers brother, Rufus Cas-
ton, upon whom you called when you
first went to New York. He asked
about you and made me a proposition
concerning you. l 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 II ont. 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 II gave no clue
To what he had In mind. He merely
expressed the hope that I would be
able 10 dine with him and his wife In
formally next Thursday evening.
What could II mean? 1t was at
least well worth looking into. Mr..
CASTOR was seventy-four. He had made
n 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 l were the only blood relations.
I wondered If II could be that old
Rufus was thinking of making me his
heir-heir to the CASTOR millions!
As I penned cordial acceptance Of
his dinner invitation / determined to
set myself to pleasing the old couple,
whom l had met only once, on the &C.
casion Of my CALL A few years ago /
would have despised the thought of ca
tering to wealth, but since l had dis
covered how difficult 1t was to earn
nd
save 1t, my views had changed.
/ could hardly wait for the day he
had set for me to dine with them to
arrive. I found myself approaching
their residence fully three-quarters Of
al hour before the time named. When
I discovered how early was I decided
t. loiter in the park for few min
utes. Old Rufus recently had given
up his Avenue residence and now lived
in one Of those stately apartment
buildings erected In the East Eighties.
/ turned into Central park. opposite
my great-uncle's street and dropped
into the first bench came to, deposit
ing beside me bunch Of roses had
purchased as my first move toward
winning my great-aunts affections.
Lighting my pipe I gave myself up
to pleasant reveries, from which was
aroused by finding my roses tossed
suddenly to the ground at my feet.
pardon me-" I said Indignantly,
''but those belong to me-"
Benches amt for bundles" croaked
an evil voice beside me.
Recovering my flowers. turned to
find seated beside me rat-eyed young
fellow. cheaply dressed, cycling me with
an insolent stare. As looked at him
he began crowding over toward me.
Plainly II was his intention to Gust me
from the bench.
There's plenty Of room on those
other benches over there" l suggested
resentfully.
BEAT 1t yourself II you don't like II
here" he retorted, blowing the smoke
from cheap cigarette In my face. 81
got date here, and I'm going to stay,
seef
l answered with an angry retort and
hot words followed. We had almost
come to blows when the bushes OPP
posite us suddenly parted. / caught
sight for just a second Of villainous
face, that of a man about forty, an
unforgettable face with red scar
across the left cheek. He raised one
finger in an imperative gesture, signal
ing to my unwelcome companion on
the bench. With a profane exclama-
ton Of dismay, the rat-eyed fellow
sprang up and walked hastily away
along the park path. Wondering
what It was all about, watched him
out of sight around a turning Of the
asphalt and then glanced toward the
apartment house where In few min
utes I was to be a guest.
As looked youns girl came out
of the house and walked slowly to-
ward the park. At the corner she
hesItated. She seemed to be debating
whether to continue on down the ave-
nue. or to turn into the park. Appar-
emily the lure Of the greenery won her,
for she came on slowly toward where