Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-07-15
BY WILLIAM JOHNSTON

ing to me about7 Rufus CASTOR wa
ricn-worth many millions.
IL was merely an invitation to din
with him and his wife. Dlsgustedly
flung II aside. 1t capped the climax o
my dissatisfaction with everything
Here were my two chums starting of
to the war, and here was l, Spaldint
Nelson, twenty-six, strong In physique
save for a football knee" that haC
barred me from military service, thirst
ing for excitement, left behind In the
| proSalc business world and now bid
| d,n to an uninteresting meal with two
daerepit old relatives. / made up my
rlind not to answer the note. My great.
uncle Rufus could go hang. for all of
his millions. / would not go near
him.
The sight of my mothers letter lying
unopened on my desk served to recall
to me that it was she who had prevent
ed my going. Poor mother! She and
/ had been at cross-purposes ever since
my fathers death while 1 was a young
ster. 1t seemed to me that always she
had opposed everything wanted to do.
After I left college she had found a
place for me in 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 Birge
and Roller In New York. Most of all
she had set herself against my going
to France. She did not believe in war
I was the only man left In the family.
She was far from well. If 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 hesitated to remind me
that I 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, chow 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. / need the money Cor
A nRn'he least you can do il
\ ,efore You give up yo
,ggQalgdSgo off ON wild-goose chases."
For this argument could find no
answer. My obligation to her was a
debt of honor that must be paid be-
fore l could be my own master. Each
week had been putting away five dol
lars, and as it accumulated had been
sending her a money order.
While l 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 l received 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 proposition |
you. / did not venture to |
give him an answer. Your views and |
mine are so seldom In accord. l gave
him your address and suggested that
ne write to you himself. Probably he
las done so by this time"
Hastily I rescued my great-uncle's
,rumpled note from the floor and
;moothed 1t out. If Rufus CASTOR
With his millions and no direct heir
lad made proposition concerning me,
lis letter took on vastly more inter-
sting complexion. Carefully l reread
t, seeking for some hidden meaning
the lines, but it gave no clue
0 what he had in mind. He merely
the hope that / would be
bic TO dine with him and his wife in
ormalIy next Thursday evening.
What could it mean? 1t was at
EAST well worth looking into. Mr..
aston was seventy-four. He had made
fortune in the South American trade.
atiring at slxty-five. There was only
imselt and his wife. On the CASTOR
de, through my mother, my sisters
nd l were the only blood relations.
wondered If 1t could be that old
u1us was thinking of making me his
eir-heir to the CASTOR millions
As I penned cordial acceptance of
Is dinner invitation l determined to
IT myself to pleasing the old couple,
HON l had met only once, on the &C.
lslon of my call. A few years ago l
onld have despised the thought of ca
ring to wealth, but since l had dis
,vered how difficult It was to earn
oney and how much more difficult to
I'VE 1t, my views had changed.
I could hardly wait for the day he
III set for me to dine with them to
rive. ! found myself approaching
cir residence fully three-quarters of !.
/ hour before the time named. When
discovered how early was / decided
lolter in the park for few min II
es. Old Rufus recently had given d
, his Avenue residence and now lived u
one OF those stately apartment 3
Iildings erected In the East Eighties. "