The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1920-03-24

oii'u'u iuppcii W lcI, lily young SIS
ters had only me to look to. When
these pleas had failed to move me
she had not hesitntcd to remind me
that / was in her debt.
Unfortunately this was true NV
years ut college had cost me more .han
my small patrimOny. had borrowed
freely from her, expecting soon to be
able to repay her. Like all young grad
yates / had vastly overestimated nv
earning capacity. Three years had
elapsed and still owed her eight hun
dred dollars.
" do not Sec" she had written
me, chow you can honorably feel free
to go while you are in my debt. To
furnish you funds at college your
mother and sisters prncticcd many
economies. The girls arc now reach
Ing an age when their expenses will be
much greater. I need the money FOR
them. The least you can do is to pay
| 1t back before you give up your posi-
tion and go or on wlld-goosc chases."
For this argument I could find no
answer. My obligation to her was
debt Of honor that must be paid be-
fore could be my own master. Each
week I had been putting away five dol
lars, and as it accumulated had been
sending her n money order.
While was debating what to do
begnn to read my mothers latest let
ter. The first part of 1t repeated her
many arguments. She wrote:
1.-TWO days ago 1 received a letter
| q,t
ton, upon whom you called when you
first went to New York. He asked
about you and made me d proposition
concerning you. I did not venture to
| give him an answer. Your views an&
mine are so seldom In accord. gave
him your address and suggested that
he write to you himself. Probably no
has done so by this time"
! Hastily rescued my great-uncle's
crumpled note from the floor and
smoothed 1t out. If Rufus CASTOR
had made 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
able to dine with him and his wife In
formally next Thursday evening.
What could 1t mean? 1t was Mt
least we'll worth looking into. Mr..
| CASTOR was seyenty-four. He had made
n fortune in the South American trade
retiring ut sixty-five. There was only
| to vi nn ~
! side, through my mother, my sisters
aud / were the only blood relations.
wondered if 1t could be that old
Rufus was thinking Of making me his
heir-helr to the CASTOR millions
| AS I pcnncd n cordial acceptance Of
his dinner invitation determined to
set myself to pleasing the old couple,
! whom had met only once, on the oc-
/ casion OF my call. a few years ago
| would have despised the thought of ca
I terng to wealth, but since had dis
| covered how difficult it was to earn
1 money and how much more difficult to
save 1t, my views had changed.
! could hardly wait for the day he
hnd set for me to dine with them to
| arrive. I found myself approaching
! their residence fully three-quarters Of
an hour before the time named. When
discovered how early was decided
to lOiter In the park for q few min
utcs. Old Rufus recently haa given
up his Avenue residence and now lived
In one Of those stately apartment
buildings erected In the East Eighties.
I turned into Central park opposite
my great-uncle's street and dropped
into the first bench came to, deposit
ing beside mo bunch of roses I had
| purchased rs my first move toward
winning my great-aunts affections.
Lighting my pipe I gave myself up
to pleasant reveries, from which I was
aroused by finding my roses tossed
suddenly to the ground mt my feet.
Pardon me-" said Indignantly,
"but those belong to me-"
"Benches amt for bundles" croaked
an evil voice beside me.
Recovering my flowers, I turned to
find seated beside me rat-eyed young
fellow, cheaply dressed, eycing me with
an insolent stare. AS looked at him
he began crowding over toward me
Plainly 1t was his intention to oust me
from the bench.
Il There's plenty of room on those
other benches over there" suggested
j resentfully.