The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1922-12-09

overlooked, but Dan had not been
prepared for this abrupt cessation Of
confidential relations. He was a bit
piqued, the more so that this astound-
ling editorial indicated a range and
depth Of purpose in Bassett's plans
that Dams imagination had not IA
thomed. He tore out the editorial and
put it away carefully in his pocket
book as Montgomery was called.
/ A messenger was at the station to
guide him to the courthouse, where
/ he found Mrs. Owen and Sylvia wait
/ ing for him in the private room of the
I judge Of the Circuit Court Mrs.
owen had, in her thorough fashion,
arranged all the preliminaries. She
| had found in Atkins, the president of
the Montgomery National Bank, an
old friend. and 1t was her way to use
! her friends when she needed them.
At her instance, Atkins and another
/ resident freeholder had already signed
/ the bond when Dan arrived. Dan
Z -ras amused by the direct manner in
which Mrs owen addressed the court:
The terminolosy pertaining TO the ad-
ministration of estates was at her
/ fingers ends, and there was no doubt
that the judge was impressed by her
We won't need any lawyer over
here, Daniel; you can save the estate
! lawyers fees by acting yourself.
guess that will be all right, Judgs?''
His honor said II would be; people
usually yielded readily TO Mrs.
Owens suggestions.
You can go up to the house new
Sylvia, and I'll be along pretty soon.
I want to make a memorandum for an
inventory with Daniel"
At the bank Atkins gave them the
directors room, and Andrew Kelton's
| papers were produced from his box
/ in the safety vault Atkins explained
that Kelton had been obliged TO drop
/ life insurance policies for a consider
able amount: only one policy for
/ 50 900 had been carried through. There
were a number Of contracts with pub
fishers covering the copyright in KEEL
tons mathematical and astronomical
/ textbooks. The royalties on these had
/ been diminishing steadily, the banker
aid. and they could hardly be re
Sarded as an asset.
Life insurance two thousand, con-
tracts nothing, and the house Is worth
.wo with good luck. Take It al In
and I reckon this is all-we1l be in
.uck TO pinch a little pin-money on;
OF the estate for Sylvia. It's more than
expected. You think there amt
anything else, Mr.. Akins?"
The professor talked to me about
r - faF, nd no m
reason to think there's anything more.
He had five thousand dollars in Gov
eminent bonds, but he sold them and
bought shares in that White River
Canneries combination. A lot Of our
Montgomery people lost money in that
scheme. It promised fifteen per cent
with the usual result"
Mr.. Atkins returned the papers 10
the safety box, and when Mrs. Owen
and Harwood were alone, she closed
the door carefully.
Now, Daniel" she began, opening
her handsatchel. Il always hold that
this is a funny world. but that things
come out right in the end. They
mostly do; but sometimes the Devil
gets into things and 1t amt 80 easy.
You believe in the Devil, Daniel?"
Well, my folks are Presbyterians."
said Dan. My own religion Is the
same as Wares. I'm not sure he
vouches for the Devil"
It's my firm conviction that there
is one, Daniel,-a red one with a
| fOrked tail; you see his works scat
tered around too often to doubt IT.
Dan nodded. Mrs. Owen had placed
carefully under a weight q paper she
had taken from her reticule.
Daniel. she looked around at the
/ door again. and dropped her voice.
Il believe you're a good man and a
smart young man. It's as much be-
cause you're a good man as because
you've got brains that I've called on
you to attend to Sylvias business
Now I'm going to tell you something
that I wouldn't tell anybody else on
earth; it's a sacred trust, and I want
you to feel bound by a more solemn
oath than the one you took at the
clerks office not to steal Sylvia s
money"
Yes. Mrs. Owen"
She waited until he had answered
her, and even then she was silent, lost
in thought.
Professor Kelton didn't know, Dan
| tel" she began gravely. who Sylvia's
father was" She minimized the sig
| nificance Of this by continuing rapidly
Andrew had quit the Navy soon
after the war and came out here to
Madison College to teach, and his wife
had died and he didn't know what
to do with his daughter. Edna Keiton
was little headstrong. I reckon. and
wanted her own way. She didn't like
living in a country college town; there
wasn't anything here to interest her.
1 won't tell you all of Andrews story,
but 1t boils down to just this, that
while Edna was in New York study
ing music she got married without
telling where, or to whom. Andrew
never saw her till she was dying in
q hospital and had a little girl with
her,-that's Sylvia. Now, whether
there was any disgrace about It An.
drew didn't know; and we owe It TO
that dead woman and to Sylvia to be-
lieve 1t was all right. You see what
I mean, Daniel? Now that brings me
down to what ] want to know. Some
body has been keeping watch OF Syl-
via,-Andrew told me that"
She was thinking deeply as though
bordering just how much more it was
necessary to tell him, and before she
spoke she picked up the folded paper
and read 1t through carefully. when
Andrew got this ii troubled him a lot;