Carrizozo outlook. [volume] (Carrizozo, N.M.) 1910-1945, 1920-10-29

them.
Two letters. thrust under the door
I'm lodging. house fashion. awaited my
Homecoming. One OF them / Fecog-
ulzed NJ once MS my mothers weekly
billet OF good advice, and tossed aside
10 he read when ! was In n better
frame of mind. The other was In n
crnmpcd. unfamiliar handwriting. As
! studied the envelope c%urlously n sus-
plclon rs TO the writer's identity
flashed into my mind and eagerly I
tore II open. My grent-uncle, Rufus
Gnston. was an old. old man. II must
he from him. what could he be writ
Ing to mo nbout2 Rufus CASTOR was
ricn-worth nan millions.
Il was merely nm invitation to dine
with him and his wife. Disgustedly |
flung II aside. II capped the climax Of
my dissatisfaction with everything,
Her, were my i've chums starting on
tn the war. and here was l. SpnldIng
Nelson, twenty-slx, strong In physique,
save for n football knee" that had
barred me from military service, thirst
Ing for excitement, left behind In the
prosaic business world and now bid
I'm TO m uninterestlng meal with two
deci eplt old relatives. ! made up my
r,snu not TO answer the note. My great
uncle Rufus could go hang, for all OF
his millions. l would not go near
him.
Tho sight Of my mothers letter lying
unopened on my desk served TO recall
TO me that II was she who had prevent
cd my golng. Poor motherl She and
I had been ut cross-purposes ever since
my fathers death while ! was n young
ster. II seemed to me that always she
had opposed everything ! wanted TO do.
After I left college she had found n
place for me IL the Office of one OF my
fathers friends In the little western
city where our home was. | had been
two years getting away to join Blrge
and Roller In New York. Most OF all
she had set herself against my going
to France. She did not believe in war.
! was the only man left In the family.
She was far from well. II anything
should happen to her, my young SIS
tiers had only me TO look TO. When
these pleas had failed to move me
she had not hesltated to remind me
that | was In her debt.
Unfortunately this was true. My
years nj college had cost me more than
my small pntrlmony. | had borrowed
freely from her, expecting soon to be
able 10 repay her. Like NIL young grad
uates | had vastly overestlmated my
earning capacity. Three years had
elapsed and / still owed her eight hun
dred dollars.
81 do not see" she had written
me, "how you can honornbly feel free
to go while you are In my debt. To
furnish you funds Mt college your
mother and sisters practlced manJ
economies. The girls are nov reach
ing an age when their expenses will be
much greater. l need the money To-
them. The least you can do is to pay
It back before you give up your posi-
@ ton and go on on w%lld-goose chnses.'
For this argument l could find ne
answer. My obligation to her was
8 debt OF honor that must be paid be
G fore | could be my own muster. n
week ! had been putting away Ave dol
lars, and as It accumulated had beef
sending her n money order.
While / was debating what to az
d | began to read my mothers latest lei
y ter. The ilrst part Of It repeated he
many arguments. She wrote:
1.-TWO days ngo | received n lette
D from my fathers brother. Rufus Gas
e ton, upon whom you called when go
first went TO New York. He aske
d about you and made me n propositio
IS concerning you. l dld not venture I
1t give him nm answer. Your views an
mine are so seldom I'm accord. CAV
him your address and suggested thn
II he write 20 you himself. Probably h
NJ has lone so by this time"
~ Hastily / rescued my great-uncle
crumpied note from the floor an
r. smoothed II out. IL Rufus Gaston-
Il with his millions and no direct heir
o lad made n proposition concerning m
" his letter took on n vastly more int
=, esting complexion. Carefully l rerea
We Il. seeking for some hidden meanln
between the lines, but II gave no clr
Id TO what he had In mind. He mere
p expressed the hope that | would |
ny ablo 20 dine with him and his wife Il
OF formally next Thursday evening.
- what could II meanf II was
a least well worth looking into. NJ
q. CASTOR was seventy-four. He had mac
In a fortune In the South American trad
To- retiring Mt slxty-hve. There was on
go himself and his wife. on the CASTE
.er side. through my mother, my slste
-. $50. A.. ..lu Il..l -.laNlAe