The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1920-04-09

ing to me about? Rufus CASTOR was
ricn--worth many millions.
1t was merely an invitation to dine
with him and his wife. Disgustedly /
flung 1t aside. 1t capped the climax of
my dissatisfaction with everything
Here were my two chums starting off
to 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
rrosaic business world and now bid
I'm to an embarrassing meal with two
dacrenit old relatives. / made up my
mind not to answer the note. My great
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 1t was she who had prevent
cd 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 a
place for me in the office of one Of my
fathers friends in the little western
city where our home was. l had been
two years getting away to Join Brge
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. 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 l was In her debt.
Unfortunately this was true. My
years ut 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.
~ do not See" she had written
me, "how you can honorably feel free
furnish you funds at college your
mother and sisters practiced many
| economies. The girls are row reach
| ing an age when their expenses will be
| much greater. / need the money for
| them. The least you can do Is to pay
it back before you give up your posi-
ton and go off on wild-goose chases.
For this argument l 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 it accumulated had been
sending her money order.
While l was debating what to dc
| 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
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
he write to you himself. Probably he
has done so by this time"
Hastily I rescued my great-uncle's
crumped note from the floor and
smoothed 1t out. If Rufus CASTOR
with his millions and no direct heir
| had made a proposition concerning me
his letter took on vastly more inter
| esting complexion. Carefully | reread
| 1t. 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 | would be
abla to dine with him and his wife in.
formally next Thursday evening.
What could 1t mean? 1t was al
least well worth looking into. Mr.
CASTOR was seventy-four. He had made
q fortune In the South American trade
retiring at sixty-five. There was only
himself and his wife. On the CASTOR
side, through my mother my sisters
aud | we're the only blood relations
| wondered If it could be that old
Rufus was thinking of making me his
! heir-heir to the CASTOR millions
AS ! penned cordial acceptance OF
his dinner invitation / determined to
set myself to pleasing the Ola couple
whom | had met only once, on the oc
casion of my call. A few years ago
would have despised the thought of ca
tering to wealth, but since l had dis
covered how difficult it was TO carr
money and how much more difficult to
save il, my views had changed.
| could hardly wait for the day HI
had set for s.~ % dine with them t,
arrive. I found myself approachn.
their residence fully quarters o
al hour before the time named. Wher
| discovered how early | was | decided
to loiter in the park for a few min
utes. Old Rufus recently had giveI
up his Avenue residence and now live,
in one of those stately apartment
buildings erected in the East Eighties
turned into Central park opposite
my great-uncle's street and droppe,
into the first bench | came to, deposit