The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1920-03-13

uncle Rufus could go hang, for all o.
his millions. | would not 20 near
him.
The sight of my mothers letter lying .
unopened on my desk served to recall /
To ne that it was she who had prevent I
ed my going. Poor mother, She and /
| had been ut cross-purposes ever since /
my fathers death while | was young |
ster. It seemed TO me- that always she
had opposed everything l wanted to do.
After | left college She had found 4
place for me in the Office Of one of my
fathers friends in the little western
/ city where our home was. | had been
rwo years getting away to join Birge
/ and Roller in New York. Most Of all
/ she had set herself against my going
/ 10 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 70 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 | 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 tn be
1 able to repay her. Like all young grad
yates | had vastly OvereStimated my
earning capacity. Three years had
elapsed and | still owed her eight hun
drpd dollars.
81 do not see" she had written
me. chow you can h0ROrably feel free
10 go Willie 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 for
them. The least you can do is to pay
! II back before you give UP your posi-
ton ana go off on wild-goose chaseS.
For this argument l could find nc
| answer. My obligation TO her was q
| 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 beer
Il sending her money order.
II While l was debating what to do
I began to read my mothers latest let
! ter. The first part of it repeated he
many arguments. She wrote:
1.-TWO days ago | received lette
@ from my fathers brother, Rufus Gas
+ ton. upon whom you called when you
: first went to New York. He aSke'
: about you and made ME a proposition
q concerning you. did not venture t.
rive him an answer. Your views ant
8 mine are so seldom in accord. | CAV
: him your address and suggested tina
4 he write to you himself. Probably h
Il has done so by this time"
" Hastily l rescued my great-uncle
n crumpled note from the floor an
Smoothed it out If Rufus CASTOR
n with his millions and no direct heir
IN had made a proposition concerning M
his letter took on vastly more inte
n eSting complexion. Carefully | rerea
is ii. seeking, for some hidden meanIn
rt betveen the lines. hut ii gave no clu
Of IN what he had in mind. He mere
cvI.ressed the hope that | would
II abb. 10 dine with him and his wife il
n. rorrlalh next Thursday evening.
NJ What could il mean? II was
=, least well worth looking into. "
. Castor was seventy-fOur. He had mac
II q fortune in the South American trad
TO- retiring at sixty-fve. There WAS on
VIC himself and his wife. on the CASTE
rs side. through my mother. my siSte
ve aud I were the only blood relation
wondered if it could be that q
ia Rutus was thinking of making me b
m heir-heir TO the CASTOR millions!
av As penned a cordial acceptance
of his dinner invitation | determined
D." set myself to pleasing the old coup
n whom | had met only once. on tn"
90 cosion of nv call. New years ago
lin would have despised the thought OF
70 teriuc To wealth. but since | bad d
,,o covered how difficult ii was to al
-. money and how much more difficult
200 save II. my views had changed.
ere could hardly wait for the day
haa set for me to dine with them
ON arrive. / found myself approach
,va their residence fully three-quarterS
nd IA hour before the time named. VIII
discovered how early was | decid
No. II letter in the park for few m
lis utes Oiu huIus Ieoei! h"u
al ND his Avenue residence and now llV
in one of those stately apartm'
INV buildings erected in the East Eight
on turned into Central park oppOs
- - nv creat-uncle's street and drOpT
+, -, into the first bench came TO, depo'
ing beside me q bunch of roses | h
&c, purchased as my first move lows
nod winning my great-aunt's affectio
oft Lighting my pipe | gave myself
.ho 70 pleasant reveries. from VIII oh
h., aroused by finding my roses tos
INV suddenly to the ground at my feet.
Pardon me-" l said indignan
COR "but those belong to me-"
nv Benches amt for bundles croai
zoo. an evil voice beside me.
.rlv Recovering my flowers. turned
lido find seated beside me rat-eyed yo'
.+or fellow. cheaply dressed. eycing me
;, an iusOIent stare. As | looked a.
,s he began crowding over toward
sus. Plainly il was his intention TO GUST
+itv from the bench.
= 7 There's plenty of room on IN
,f,,s other benches over there" | sugges
,ust resentfully.
.po,, n roursaIf If Won don't lik