The Mena weekly star., 1921-10-06


 She bounced upon it.
 Fifty dollars Why--why--l"
 ''The letter will tell" he said lean- ing eagerly toward her.
 She unfoded the stiff sheet, the in- ner side of it covered with the letter. written in clear, readable hand:
 "Vincennes. Ind, June 15. 1S4--. My Dear Colonel:
 Enclosed I am sending the usual monthly remittance, as per your order when you left.
 "Why haven't you answered any of my letters? I have sent the remit tance regularly but have not heard word from you for nearly seven years. As I have repeatedly told you, your estate has increased till hardly know how to invest 1t further. If I don't hear from you I shall have to come up to Buckeye for a consultation.
 ssThe little girl-little Hesper Dawn must be quite a woman now. AS I have written you, her grandfather, old Godfrey Dawn, died last year. He re- pented in his last hours and left her sole heir to his fortune, which, as you know, is even more considerable than your own The estate is in my hands ready to convey to her. The legal age of woman in this state Is eighteen. If old Godfrey has not misinformed me, she will be twenty the twentieth of this present month. So. she has been for some time legally competent to come into her estate. If. under the terms of your will. she should fall heir to your fortune as well. which she bids fair to do, as no word has come and none likely to come at this late day. she will be quite the richest heiress in my knowing.
 Now, my dear Colonel. let me hear from you. Why should famous sol dier. and the greatest ceIlist of his time. longer isolate himself from the world to nurse his sorrow? For the sake of the little girl. if not for your own--and ours-leave your FIatwoods hermitage and come back to us.
 Awaiting early reply to this letter. beg to remain. as ever,
 "Your obedient serv't,
 "GEO. ESKRIDGE." A voice out of the big world she had visited only in dreams She glanced again at the letter. looked hard at the opening of the third paragraph, dropped her hands in her lap and turned to her companion. He had bent forward and sat staring at the floor. ''What does it mean7"
 "It means" he said slowly after . time, with his eyes still on the floor. that you are rich heiress: and you've got a--name."
 "A namep she repeated, her wom- ans intuition instantly catching the minor note. "So have you, and"--she reached in her bosom and drew out the draft-"a fortune And you made them both yourself"
 He glanced at the draft; waved 1t away without lifting his head.
 Keep it, please. for me till after tonight"
 She put 1t back in her bosom, picked 1P thC tCtttA anu cdt RohNCAAhEf ohSot- ing an occasional glance at his glum face
 Seven years the letters came" the man unused, half aloud. "and you never received them. The postmaster has stroke-you receive the very next let ter that comes-"
 You don't reckon--?"
 Reckon It's a plain case. Let's see-every month--six hundred year --seven years-seven times six hun dred--no wonder he could build that new house."
 "0h, we'll Poor old manI He's paying for it."
 And do you think that's the way a man paysf"
 Sometimes
 The man raised his eyes after time to the bright spots of metal in the gathering gloom above the mantel. "The letter called him famous sol dier. Maybe that's his sword. and spurs?'