Washington telegraph., 1920-03-19

ing TO me about? Rufus CASTOR was
ricn-worth many millions.
It was merely an invitation to dine
with him and his wife. Dlsgustedy
flung IT aside. It capped the climax Of
my dissatisfaction with everything.
Hero were my two chums starting off
tn the war, and here was I. SpaIding
Nelson, twenty-slx, strong in physique.
save for a football knee" that had
barred me from military service, thirst
Ing for excitement, left behind In the
proSalc business world and now bid
d.n to an uninterestlng meal with two
dactepit old relatives. | made up my
rrind not to answer the note. NV 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
| 10 me that it was she who had prevent
cd my going. Poor mothcr She and
| I had been at crOss-purposcs ever since
my fathers death while | was young
ster. It 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. I 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,
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 I was in her debt.
Unfortunately this was true. My
years at college had cost me more than
my small patrlmony. | had borrowed
freely from her, expecting soon to be
able to repay her. Like all young grad
yates / had vastly overestimated my
earning capacity. Three yeur had
elapsed and still owed her eisSt hun
dred dollars.
81 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
! J much .as-st----nasAs.t--sSkachxs~
: them. The least YOU can do is to pus
1t back before you give up your posi-
:. ton and go Off on wild-goose chases.'
Tor this argument | could find NJ
g answer. My obligation to her was
debt of honor that must be paid be
$ fore could be my own master. Eacl
5 week had been putting away five dol
I lars. and as it accumulated had bee
q sending her n money order. 4
y While | was debating whatto d
u l began to read my mothers latest LEI
ter The first part Of It repeated he
= many arguments. She wrote:
y 1.-TWO days ago | received a lette
from my fathers brother, Rufus Ga
q ton, upon whom you called when yo
Is first went to New York. He aske
II about you and made me a proposltio
et concerning you. | did not venture
give him an answer. Your views an
IL mine are so seldom in accord. / gay
1t him your address and suggested th'
e he write to you himself. Probably
& has done so by this time"
- Hastily I rescued my great-uncle
l. crumpled note from the floor al
p smoothed it out If Rufus CASTOR
. with his millions and no direct heir.
> had made a proposition concerning N
e his letter took on a vastly more int
esting complexion. Carefully ! rerei
"a it. seeking for some hidden meanll
p between the lines, but it gave no ell
y 10 what he had in mind. He mere
'f expressed the hope that | would
ahla TO dine with him and his wife
a formally next Thursday evening.
e What could it mean? 1t was
in least well worth looking into. n
o. Castor was seventy-four. He had ma
&c fortune in the South American trat
er retiring at slxty-nye. There was or
&c himself and his wife On the Cast
re side, through my mother my sist6
aud | were the only blood relation
on wondered If it could be that q
We Rufus was thinking Of making me
rd heir-heir TO the Castor millions
As I penned a cordial acceptance
1g- his dinner invitation | determined
is set myself to pleasing the old coup
al whom ! had met only once, on the
casion of my call. A few years ag'
my would have desplsed the thought of
op- tering to wealth, but since | had q
g" covered how difficult It was to es
1" money and how much more difficult
save 1t, my views had changed.
asst could hardly wait for the day
,ol had set for me TO dine with them
eft arrive. l found myself approach
the their residence fully three-quarters
hat "A hour before the time named. WI
any I discovered how early was deciC
t. letter in the park for IA few m
oor utcs. Old Rufus recently had gi'