The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-06-07
Epening Story
Only Human Nature.
BY RAY BAKER.

Casper Huntington went thru the
portals of the First National bank feel
ing very Insignificant. gazing with a
feeling of awe at the massive columns
among which he passed.
| 1t was a new building and every
thing about it was significant of the
huge sums of money that furnished
| its foundation. Yes, Casper felt lost.
He had little acquaintance with banks
and was not here now of his own
choice. He had been summoned
by a letter which he found at his room
when he returned home after calling
on Bertha Walton.
Threading his way among the pillars
and busy people. Casper found the
presidents office, and that official, in
company with the vice-president,
taken aback and could not compre-
bend the meaning of it.
| Some time later when Casper went
out thru those same portals he was
+, vaguely conscious of a feeling of dis
| dain for the grandeur that surrounded
him. His steps were no longer hest
| tant; he seemed walking on air. In
stead of feeling insignificant, he felt
superior to those about him. There
was million dollars to his credit in
| the First National.
| He walked down the street and his
lip curled as he waited for a hand
some automobile to sail past. He
would have better one-tomorrow.
He went to his rooming house. and
| for the first time he noticed cracks in
the wallpaper and ceiling and the
frayed corner of a rug. He sat in the
only chair available and pondered. be-
Iwildered over the sudden fortune that
had dropped from the clouds.
What could he do with a million?
Well. the first thing. of course. would
be to resign his position. The next
would be to buy the most expensive
car in town. Then what?
| These nominations recalled to his
mind a conversation in which he had
taken part last night at Bertha's
home. Mr.. Walton had been reading
something in the paper about a mil
! lionaire, and had paused to ask that
question which is asked so often:
what would you do II you should
| fall heir to $1,000, 000?"
Casper had told them he wolffd use
| it in philanthropic work, and Bertha
proud, glistening eyes. while Mr.. Wal
ton had laughed and said:
Eyes you would. That's what you
| think. but if you should>fall heir to
a million you'd forget about philan-
thropy anC spend it for your own COM
fort and pleasure. It's only human
! nature"
But he had mean it-then. He
| had thought little further on the sub
| ject, because the possibility of his pos
| dollars had seemed so remote. Not
even the letter he had found in his
room had recalled the conversation.
eff you will call tomorrow afternoon
at the First National Bank and ask
for the president you will learn some
| thing of benefit to YOU That was
the way the letter read.
| Now he smiled at the ideas he haG
| expressed at Bertha's home. Yes, of
, course, he would engage in philan-
thropic efforts. but they could wait
awhile He must invest in an automq
4 bile, and then he must travel . And
Bertha? Well, he was engaged-to her
| but she could wait too. He was really
in a different stratum of life and, and
perhaps he had better give her up
| altogether That reminded him that
he had an engeg~ ment to take her to
| the theater this very evening. SO he
| called her up at the office where she
worked and pleaded a lame excuse.
| of course it's all right" she as
| sured him, but she did not prolong the
conversation. 1t was just as well.
I Perhaps it would be better now for
him to form the mountaineering of a
girl in his own social sphere.
/ Casper decided to keep his good for
1 tune secret for awhile, but in this he
| was frustrated by tie newspapers, who
managed to find out everythir~ oome-
how. Reporters started calling on him
that very evening and he was forced
to give interviews. telling them how
the money had come from an estate in
Scotland which he had heard of when
a lad but had forgotten about as he
| grew up. The next morning he was
spread all over the front pages.
/ Bertha solved the problem of his
matrimonial obligation by writing him
a brief note, in which she congrat-
ulated him on his good fortune and
voluntarily broke their engagement.
4 'You are on different plane of life
now" she wrote, and it is only hu-
man nature under such conditions to
form friendships among the wealthy
class. So I'll say good-by.
She was right, and he was glad she
looked at it that way. he told himself,
and went out to take possession of the
4 expensive automobile he had ordered.
The car business was not SO rushing
now and orders were filled promptly.
At the wheel of the twelye-cylinder
machine he motored out into the
country. School children on their
way home asked him for ride, but he
take people for rides, but just now he
} was too busy.
Casper opened the throttle and the
moto. hummed. When smaller cars
got in his way he dashed ahead and
passed them disdainfully. He turned
to look at a big, ramshackle building
| beside the road, and while his atten-
! ton was thus engaged his machine
left the road and struck a telephone
pole with terrific force. Blackness
| ensued.
In a semi-conscious condition he felt
, himself picked up, seemingly hours
after the crash, and carried some
where. When he regained his COM
| plete senses he found himself in bed
/ in a very plain-looking room. A
| Suaat-fac rod middle a ped 1ady stood
near him. Acute pain in his right arm
| caused him to vince.
Broken" said the woman sympa-
| thetically. He saw that she was
, dressed in white
''Hospital?" he asked.
i mot exactly she smiled TITS the
| Business Girls Home for Crippled
r Children Won yvere hrourht hara as