Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-08-12

singularly clear in the skin; STEADY. gray
eyes. Some day. when these eyes began to
observe and weigh hunnanities. they would
be difficult to bemuse. He was well set up,
too. So then, to excite his imagination ana
lure him away from this stronghold.
The two glasses Of wine had exhilanted
Bancroft. He felt e~xpansively charitable
toward the future, toward The past, toward
this entertaining adventurer. the most inter
esting man he had ever met. There was5a
mischievous inclination to get the ten thou.
sand. toss 1t beside the mans plate, and de-
man a contract. ii only to see how he would
sustain the shock; but immediately he coun-
pretended that 1t wal the, wine which was
urging him to make a fool Of himself. He
laughed.
What's the joke?"
You are!" :
We'll. nothing could be franker than that.
I had proposed that we forget all about the
Great Adventure company; but evidently you
are still mulling it over"
"Only as a whimsical .absurdity."
Six months in a war camp has trained
you to skepticism." said the adventurer. wise
ly shifting the subject. Queer thing You
made no real friendships among the boya.
You were a highbrow to them, and all the
while you were crazy to mix in. but didn't
know how. Lumber: all you had learned
from books Was lumber, since it hadn't
taught you to be a mixer. When you went
into toWn-the one nearest your camp-ycN
went alone and hung around the public
library. You didn't drink or shoot craps or
CURSE, the powers that be. You escaped
brawls because your buddies ound out at
the start that you could use your. hstica.
That's .where your one eyed pugifist came
in. But you never preached and you never
acted. Nobody liked you. but all respected
you because you made a tiptop soldier by
the time the war blew up. But YOU ought to
thank your stars that you never got az Tar
as Hoboken."
IL wanted to get into it."
a war medal TO bring home and hAunt
at the villagers. You didn't want mud and !
death: you wanted glamour, the excitement
of crossing the ocean, of seeing foreign
cities, the pretty girls, and all that. What's
this? Real apple pie, as 1 live, with CHINA.
moh""
".And>a second piece, il you want 1t, SIR"
said Mrs. Horne, bustling out.
Would. you like another bottle?' asked
Bancroft, with sly INTENT
Would you? No. young MIN. you could
not get me drunk under four bottles, and
by that time you would be under the table.
l use my education. and it tells me ware Of
SlIOH6 uIlHh. ~ tl1e XII LdlIOA wv aI1o
then will not hurt any one. But how few Of
us are strong enough to halt this side Of the
line? Would you like another bottle?"
: NO" said Bancroft, readily admitting his
failure, but free of chagrin.
What are you going to do with all this
money!" "
Bancroft's hand went to his brow, his
fingers into his thick brown hair. Z don't
know. Spend some of it, give some Of it.
0fIay don't vx-o Mt tn xroSfe FL NO nj t4 Ha
good with it, and l want to have a decent
good time, too. But how and where to begin
that's what bewilders me. With an in
come Of ten thousand q year, / should be
Very happy. But more than a quarter OF a
million, when a twenty-dollar bill still looks
as big as all outdoors. If you had set your
adventure at a million, l might have jumped
at it,"
MY mistake" said the other, dryly. "You
can still offer it. however. You are a free
agent. Your fathers will was without be.
quests or conditions"
IL can spend it like a sailor, or 60 on &C.
cumulating it. Did ySu see the will?'
mo; but I was given q gist ot&it."
Its a literary curiosity: one Of the short.
est wills on record. Whenever I feel myself
getting foggy I take out my copy and read
it. Here, read it yourself and tell ne what
YOU think of it."
He sailed the envelope across the table.
The adventurer stared at it, rather stonily.
go on. read it," said Bancroft, impa-
tiently. Its worth reading.
Thus urged. the stranger drew the en-.
velope toward him and extracted the instru.
ment. and smoothed it out upon the tabls.
cloth.
q. KNOW ALL BY THEsENPREsENrs:
Being hale and sound mentally, whatever
my body may be, I leave to my son, Col.
lingswood jeremiah Bancroft, all my real
and personal property. Internationally, with.
out let or hindrance. There will be no debts
to pay. l had twenty odd years Of iAten-
sive pleasure in gathering these funds and
properties. My son, if so he pleases. may
dissipate it in as many months.
Copy. ~ S1LAs BANCROFT.
No debts to pay" unused the adventure-
his rowing glance touching the chairs, the
books in the room beyond, the vases. He
returned the will to it's envelope.
No requests. Even Mrs. Horne, who
has been housekeeping since 1 was a baby.
received nothing. All mine-to ride to hen
with. if ! want to!,'
Bieerness. Ell? The wine had rent a cor.
ner Of the reserve. TIL boy was bitter in
his soul? So much the better. In New York.
with this bitterness which was bred OF lons-
uness, and a thousand temptations at his
elbow. No debts toapay!
well, what do you think OF it?" asked
Bancroft.
DC you want the truth: or, rather, do
you want my honest opinion?"
Yes *f7
We'll. then. by the way he brought Won
up and by the way he filings this fortune az
your feet should say that he expected it to
destroy you. III 60 further. Supposans
you're not silas Bancroft's son. What would
be more exquisite than to bring you up more
or less like a pauper and then to destroy
You with too much money!"
mo; that won't do at al. I was born a.
this village; not the least mystery on that
side. Thesmystery is why / was brought up
like a pauper Ito quote YOU and given ali
this money in the END. That's the real
problem"
:" It was merely a superstition. You asked
me what Thought" Somewhere i clock
beat out the our /" Nine? / must.be Oh.
Got to make New York by midnight"
No train until morning"
7 have q car ut the curb
EhA ri i. MI I've i, ,nnre * w 20 - ~ =. 80