The Rice belt journal., 1920-07-10

uncle Rufus could go hang for all Of
his millions. l 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 was young |
ster. 1t seemed to me that always she |
had opposed everything l wanted to do.
After l 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
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
i years at college had cost me more than
II my small patrimOny. l 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 I still owed her eight hun
dred dollars.
II 81 do not see," she had written
me, show you can hOnorably feel free
II to go while you are in my debt. To
II furnish you funds at college your
II mother and sisters practiced many
II economies. The girls are now reach
II ing an age when their expenses will be
II much greater. l need the money for
H them. The least you can do is to pay
II it back before you give up your posi-
tion and go off on wild-goOse chases."
III For this argument l could find no
II answer. My obligation to her was a
| debt of honor that must be paid be-
fore l could be my own master. Each
II week I had been putting away five dol
lars, and as it accumulated had been
sending her a money order.
Il While was debating what to dc
II 1 began to read my mothers latest let
i ter. The first part of 1t repeated hel
many arguments. She wrote:
1.-TWO days ago l received letter
ce from my fathers brother, Rufus Gas
Il. ton, upon whom you called when you
,r. first went to New York. He asked
as about you and made me a proposition
he concerning you. l did not venture tt
give him an answer. Your views ant
DC mine are so seldom in accord. l gav'
vs him your address and suggested tha
"a. he write to you himself. Probably n
od has done so by this time"
nv Hastily / rescued my great-uncle'
mt crumpled note from the floor AM
smoOthed it out. If Rufus CASTOR
IN with his millions and no direct heir
% had made proposition concerning me
his letter took on a vastly more inter
ed esting complexion. Carefully l rerea
MIA It seeking for some hidden meanin
mt between the lines, but 1t gave no clu
aet to what he had in mind, He merel
expressed the hope that / would b
"Tt able to dine with him and his wife II
,st formally next Thursday evening.
NO What could it mean? II was
90. least well worth looking into. M
l. CASTOR was seventy-four. He had mad
III. a fortune in the South American trad
no. retiring at sixty.f1ve. There was onl
,vs himself and his wife. On the Caste
,ts side, through my mother, my sister
,ve aud we're the only Eiood relation
wondered IL It could be that ol
old Rufus was thinking Of making me h
an heir-heir to the CASTOR millions!
,ay AS / penned a cordial acceptance
Of his dinner invitation / determined
IN y SET myself to pleasing the old coupl
a whom ] had met only once, on the Q
zoo casion of my call. few years ago
o,n would have despised the thought OF
-. tering to wealth, but since had dl
ono covered how difficult it was to eal
,Io~ money and how much more difficult
700 save It, nv views had changed.
orc could hardly wait for the day
had set for me to dine with them
IN arrive. found myself approachil
owo their residence fully three-Quarters
orS an hour before the time named. VIII
7 discovered how early was decid
-. r. loiter in the park for a few mi
lie utes Old Rufus recently had Civ
al. I'D his Avenue residence and now liV
In one of those stately apartme
hnildings erected in the East Eighti'
- s turned into Central park OppOs
10y -. INV great-uncle's street and dropp
: ~ into the first bench I came to, depOs
- ing beside me bunch Of roses ] b
:, Il purchased as my first move towa
90 -, winning my great-aunt's affection
E Ioft Lighting my pipe I gave myself
49, to pleasant reveries, from which "
.sat - aroused by finding my roses toss
'a~r en- suddenly to the ground at my feet.
"Pardon me-" 1 said indignant
49,. 'but those belong to me-"
~ nv "Benches amt for bundles" crOaH
ooa an evil voice beside me.
o,yin S Recovering my flowers, turned
slJo & find seated beside me a rat-eyed you
,ttor fellow, cheaply dressed, eycing me W
- = an insolent stare. AS looked at
As he began crowding over toward
AS Y,,.,,z, q mos his intention TO oust