Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-10-13
HER MONEY
BY CAROLYN BEECHER


What has gone befOre.-Althea Cros-
by, dying, leaves her home and $780,
900 in bonds to her orphaned niece
and namesake, whom she has never
seen. Her lawyer finds the young
woman working in a department store
in New York and leaves with her
copy of the will which discloses that the
$4,000 bequest will not become hers
until the day she marries and that she
must wed before she is thirty-fve-
Now go on with the story.
CHAPTER "
A LTHEA'S salary was twenty dollars a
~ week, and two weeks vacation with
out pay was hers also. She had been
in the store since she was a little over sew
enteen. Almost as soon as she had finished
high school her mother had passed away,
leaving her little save the memory of that
mothers struggles to keep her in school;
and the wealth of love she had showered
on her fatherless girl.
But Althea was of a brave, courageous
nature and when the first agony of her grief
had passed, she had found a situation,
determined to make good and SO be indie
pendent,
She had roommate, Molly Butler, her
opposite in every way-a gay, inconseqential
sort of girl, who took everything, 1nclud-
ing life, as sort Of joke and laughed over
things that from another would have drawn
tears.
Althea scolded her, petted her, alternately.
t>But she was very fond of the gay little
creature who worked in the notion depart
ment. and so invited her to spend her vaca-
ton with her in her new home.
''Well buy everything we think of to
eat and have one grand feed Molly said,
her eyes shining with delight. cts dear of
you to ask me, Althea, even if I can't have
any new dress to go with. The fare is all
I can manage"
eff Aunt Althea hadn't left strings tied on
| H. i H.
can't touch a penny of it for ever and ever
so many years. Althea told her She felt
she must make some explanation.
II suppose she thought you was too young
to have it," Molly answered "but I think
it's shabby trick! We're only young once,
and that's when want money and good
time. When you're olds you can go to the
old ladies' home. But I haven't heard of
anyone starting a young ladies' home. It's
get out and hustle for us unless we've got
rich people. You're almost rich, aren't you,
Althea?"
| 1t was close, hot morning when the girls
| took the train for Holden, the town where
| Althea Crosby had spent her life and that
this other Althea Crosby was to see for the
first time. They had to change cars at Bos-
! ton, and it was dusk when they arrived at
the little station and inquired the way to the
i Crosby place.
"Just five-minute walk, Miss" the sta
ton agent told Althea. miss Crosbys niece,
l take it. Welcome to our town, Miss" He
touched his hat, then gave them more ex-
| pHclt directions for reaching the house.
Althea had written the lawyer when she
would arrive, and now he came hurryng
| down the street to escort her to her home
| He unlocked the door, turned on the lights,
| then hurried away, leaving the two girls
| alone to investigate Althea's possessions
"Why, it's lovely" Mollie gasped Such
darling furniture! I'll bet it's thousand
| years old-and worth millions!"
1T is lovely" Althea replied, "and to
think it is all mine, my very own! Come
| on, let's go all over the house! / can't wait
a minute"
Everything had been left in perfect order
And every room only increased the first i'm
preston given by the living room. There was
the dining room furnished in wonderful ma
hogany, old, and rich with the luster only
I time and care can give. Then the quaint
kitchen with its~ruffled window curtains, and
quainter cooking utensils iron pots and skill
lets, copper ones hung the wall over the
stove and its oddly shaped chairs. The serv-
ants room opening from it also held treas
ures-a four-poster bed, a bureau with a
tiny narrow mirror, chairs of another gener-
alton. XXX
On the second floor were three bedrooms,
two good-sized, one small. The two large
ones held the same rare old furniture The
small one had been used as sort of a storage
room and was full of trunks and odds and
ends, quaint sewing tables, work baskets, etc.
The lawyer had told them, in reply to a
question, that Miss Crosby had died in the
larger of the two rooms-that it had been
her own bedroom. The girls chose to occupy
the other one and brought up their bags.
Now for something to eat and then let's
go to bed Althea said. II feel as if I were
in old-fashioned fairy land. We haven't
really seen anything tonight. Tomorrow we
will go over the house slowly and see every
thing"
They made a hot cup of tea and found
jams and jelies in the cupboard, also boxes
of crackers and sardines. While they ate
they chatted of the wonders of the house that
even to their citybred eyes had proved so
fascinating.
why, even if you don't get the money for
long time, you'd be rich if you sold the
house and all these wonderful things" Molly
said.
II don't believe I'll sell single thing!"
Althea declared.
Continued Tuesday. Renew your subscrip-
ton now so not to miss a chapter of tbs
splendid story.
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