The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-04-02

l n
II was merely an Invitation to dine
with him and his wife. Disgustedly |
flung It aside. II capped the climax Of
my dissatisfaction with everything
Here were my two chums starting off
IT, the war, and here was /, Spalding
Nelson twenty-six, strong In physique
save for a football knee that had
barred me from military service, thirst
Ing for excitement, left behind in the
prosale business world and now bid
DIN to an uninteresting meal with two
decrepit old relatives. i 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 1t was she who had prevent
ed my going. Poor motherl 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 wanted to do.
After left college she had found
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 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
ters 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 at college had cost me more than
/ my small patrimony. had borrowed
| freely from her, expecting soon to be
1 able to repay her. Like all young grad
/ yates had vastly overestimated my
4 earning capacity. Three years had
Il elapsed and still owed her eight hun
Il bred dollars.
II II do not see" she had written
Il me, "how you can honorably feel free
Il to so while you are In my debt. To
Il furnish you funds at college your
y mother and sisters practiced many
economies The girls are now reach
Ing an age when their expenses will be
a much greater. / need the money for
!. them. The least you can do Is to pay
. 1t back before you give up your posi-
] ton and go off on wild-goose chases."
a For this argument could find no
answer. My obligation to her was a
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 1t accumulated had been
: sending her a money order.
: While I was debating what to do
began to read my mothers latest let
:. ter. The first part of 1t 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 a proposition
y concerning you. l did not venture to
,, give him an answer. Your views and
= mine are so seldom in accord. I gave
him your address and suggested that
Z he write to you himself. Probably he
s has done so by this time"
, Hastily l rescued my great-uncle's
: crumpled note from the floor and
smoothed 1t out, If Rufus CASTOR
: with his millions and no direct heir
= had made proposition concerning me,
his letter took on vastly more inter
esting complexion. Carefully reread
u it, seeking for some hidden meaning
= between the lines, but 1t gave no clue
= to what he had in mind. He merely
;. expressed the hope that l would be
able to dine with him and his wife in.
a formally next Thursday evening.
O. What could 1t mean2 1t was at
II least well worth looking into. Mr..
y CASTOR was seVenty-four He had made
g fortune in the South American trade.
e retiring at siXty-five. There was only
'e himself and his wife. On the CASTOR
e side, through my mother. my sisters
and I were the only blood relations.
ID | wondered II it could be that old
e Rufus was thinking of making me his
q heir--heir to the CASTOR millions
As l penned cordial acceptance of
: his dinner Invitation l determined to
3 set myself to pleasing the oi1 couple,
II whom l had met only once, on the oc.
caslon of my call, A few years ago |
" would have despised the thought of ca
p tering to wealth, but since l had dis.
y covered how difficult it was to earn
!" money and how much more difficult to
save 1t, my views had changed.
81 could hardly wait for the day he
I'd had set for SEQ - dine with them to
It arrive. found myself approaching
ne their residence fully three-quarters OF
At al hour before the time named. When
~ | discovered how early l was decided
to loiter in the park for few min,
or utes. Old Rufus recently had given
~ up his Avenue residence and now lived
g. in one of those stately apartment
~ buildings erected In the East Eighties