Cheyenne record. (Cheyenne Wells, Cheyenne County, Colo.) 1913-19??, 1920-10-21
ing to me about? Rufus CASTOR was
rich-wOrth many millions.

ElCu-WOTtu IIlduy IlllllOuS.
1t was merely an invitation to dine
with him and his wife. Disgustedly
flung it aside. 1t capped the climax of
my dissatisfaction with everything
Here were my two chums starting off
t" the war. and here was I. Spalding
Nelson. twenty-six, strong in physique,
save for football knee" that had
barred me from military service, thirst
ing for excitement. left behind in the
prosaic business world and now bid
den to an uninteresting meal with two
decrepit old relatives. made up my
r,ino 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 was a young
ster. 1t seemed to me that always she
had opposed everything wanted to do.
After I left college she had found
place for me in the office of one Of my
luluCI . 11iChAS III tiC AAtLIe "CHtCIH
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 we'll. 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 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. I had borrowed
freely from her, expecting soon to he
able to repay her. Like all young grad
yates I had vastly overestimated my
earning capacity. Three years had
elapsed and still owed her eight hun
dred dollars.
II do not see," she had written
me, show 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. l 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 chnses."
For this argument I could find no
answer. My obligation to her was a
| debt of honor that must be paid be-
fore could he my own master. Each
| week I had been putting away Ave dol
lars, and as 1t accumulated had been
sending her 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:
"Two days ago 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
| concerning you. I 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
cruhpled note from the floor and
| smoothed 1t out. If Rufus Gaston-
with his millions and no direct heir
had made proposition concerning me,
| his letter took on n vastly more inter-
| esting complexion. Carefully / reread
| 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 I would be
able to dine with him and his wife in
formally next Thursday evening.
What could it mean7 1t was at
| least well worth looking into. Mr..
| CASTOR was seventy-four. He had made
| 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 were the only blood relations.
| I wondered If 1t could be that old
Rufus was thinking Of making me his
heir-heir to the CASTOR millions!
As penned a cordial acceptance of
his dinner invitation I determined to
set myself to pleasing the old couple.
whom I had met only once, on the Oc-
cnsion Of my call. A few years ago I
would have despised the thought Of ca
tering to wealth. but since l had dis
covered how difficult it was to earn
money and how much more difficult to
save 1t. my views had changed.
could hardly wait for the day he
had set for me to dine with them to
arrive. found myself approaching
their residence fully three-quarters of
al hour before the time named. When
I discovered how early was decided
T. loiter In the park for a few min
utes. Old Rufus recently had given
up his Avenue residence and now lived
in one Of those stately apartment
buildings erected In the East Eighties.