Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1923-08-03
PENITENT UNCLE
BY H. LOUIS RAYBoLD

y
lion. The money is yours to do wit
as you desire. When you receive 1t
! shall be dead and beyond the reach {
: thanks.
"Your belatedly penitent great-uncle
Jonathan Benjamin Cowles."
This was the conclusion Of the lei
ter which Jimmy Stiles several day
ago had signed with fiourishing sig
nature and then reread with grinnint
satisfaction. How tickled Mary Lou
Use would bel And how unlikely ever
to discover the hoax.
Now he sat at his desk and won
dered whether Mary Louise had yet
cashed the inclosed certificate of de-
post.
She had come to visit her aunt, who
was matron of the County Home
where Jimmy was one of many lonely,
blue-overalled and aproned orphans.
Mary Louise's mother, because of
whose Illness she had been sent away,
died during her absence and she
stayed on with her aunt, And when
matrimony with a widower of small
means and considerable family claimed
the estimable matron, Mary Louise
still fingered.
Jimmy became her companion in all
the playground squabbles, nor did the
marvellous piece of luck which befell
him when he was fifteen make him
forget her.
Jimmy rose rapidly-graduate bril-
liantly from high school-went into a
lawyers office daytimes and continued
study at evening school. Ultimately
he entered the bar and became an at
torney with q reputation before he
was thirty.
Meanwhile Mary Louise had been
bound out" to lonely farmers wife. |
Growing attached to her, the woman
mad done more than the stipulated
clothing and feeding of the child-had
aught her what she could of gram
mar, geography and similar rudlments
If learning.
A summer boarder had taken an in
crest and lent her books, not only
Turing her stay but for many months
fterward.
These changes had meant separa-
ion for the boy and girl, during which
ne memory of each grew dim to the
Their but did not utterly fade. And at
'rlft Harbor, that wonder spot of
cean beach and vivid sunset and
otous surf, their paths eonverged
ace more.
Signing his name in the Drift Har
'r house register, Jimmy looked I'D
ON the final flourish of his sigma
reVJames w. Stiles, Boston
raight into pair Of well-remem.
red soft blue eyes.
You'll Mary LouiseE"
fes, 1t was Mary Louise, who some =
les filled in at the hotel, which stood
nile or two from her adopted home, =
various capacities from that of
TX to waitress.
Are you happy, Mary Louise ?r he .
red one day. =,
Nary Louise threw him a question
glance from beneath her curly h
hes. Just now" she said ingenu-
ly. but winters-oh, Jimmy, It is >,
lonely. And-and / see no fu- 9,
e. Ii only could afford to go to
city and have a couple of years at =,
ormal school. Then-oh, just think, b
light be able to teachl' ~ :,
he sighed blissfully, as though
hing were an achievement too
venly to contemplate. Il dream n
ITS Of what would do with q
lsand dollars. That's my fayorite
castle in Spain" 20
pat winter Jimmy unexpectedly
case which netted him an even ma
sand and the sight Of the check m,
ght back to him the words of an
Y Louise. To-
intense longing surged within ma
to help her out even as years ago ga,
ad been helped by the kindly rec Ho
But handing over a sum of that -
mt to an unrelated young lady Crs
'nted problem. a.
tdenly the idea of creating a Sar
Gus great-uncle occurred to him of
sreat-uncle who would exist but hay
moment on sheet of paper. but the
enough to bequeath to Mary Lon res
thousand-dollar legacy. beII
letter had been written and sent too.
low Jimmy sat and dreamed I'm I
nee OF Its reception by a blue and
girl In lonely farmhouse near gan
Harbor. did
as he dreamed the door of his and
opened. At sight Of a Slim Az. the
mmy sprang 10 his feet. sery
fraud" cried sweet voice .rea
reat-unele Jimmy" pi1'
ny swallowed. "How.er-wb,. ,.s
70
" party because ! read Ia the n A.
~ your thousand dollar fee IA Food
esss Duf mostly De. 40 n
oniy one pngs0n la fha u,o.ls to.,..l