The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1923-07-05
Generosity
by Proxy
By JANE OSBORN

- :
%+*+4+++*@++$+
Ito. 1928. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)
H Seventy-year-old Mrs. Gerald Trav-
ers certainly had no expansive repu-
tation for liberality, but when Tom
Travers, her longdeparted husbands
nephew, found himself at the end OF
his meager resources the autumn Of
his last winter In law school, he did
not let any lack Of favorable reputa-
ton in this regard stand In his way.
She had no end Of money-this his
old sister had told him-and after all
he was not going to ask charity.
So he had put false pride in his
pocket and had gone to call on his
aunt by marriage-thOugh, of course.
he never dreamed Of calling her any
thing but Mrs. Travers." He wanted
to arrange to live In the garrett or
somewhere In the old house SO as to
help pay expenses that last season in
law school. In return he would prom
ise never to make himself more ap-
parent than she wished, and would be
glad to take on any household tasks
tending furnace, shoveling snow. even
scrubbing kitchen floors, II she wished.
Mrs. Travers had not been unkind.
but she proudly said that no Trav-
ers need stoop to mental labor. you
come here at once, and occupy one OF
the small rooms on the fourth fioOr,''
she had ordered. you'll have meals
here, too, though not with me. You
can have them when you like In the
breakfast room never use. I'll find
enough for. you to do to square our
score"
But / don't want to accept char
ity-" Tom protested, and then old
Mrs Travers had laughed, not alto
gether pleasantly. as Tom recalled
later.
You'll earn your board and keep.
never fear" she said. "Pm not In
the habit Of being imposed on"
Tom soon found that It was true
that he really was earning his way.
Every evening he reported to his rela-
tive for orders and the tasks she as
signed. him were always well planned
out before his coming. They did not
take so much. time-but they would
have taxed the resources of any one
less persistent than Tom Travers.
One day she wanted to invest $10.-
600 that had just come to her in a
matured bond. Tom was given orders
to look up the best possible way for
her to reinvest that money. The next
day her pet dog needed to visit the
veterinary surgeons; would Tom take
him In the morning and see that he
was well treated? Another day a
friend landed from Europe, might
have a little difncdlty with the GUS
toms; Tom was to do the meeting and
the smoothing Then once, when the
dressmaker was coming, there were
countless samples Of ribbons and silks
to be matched-but Tom didn't even
balk at that, nor on that other occa-
sion when Mrs. Travers asked him to
70 to the milliner's with her ito see
that the fool saleswoman didn't try to
give her anything unbecomingly youth
full"
So Tom paid his way.
One day toward spring Mrs. Trav-
ers handed him $500 In bank notes.
There's fair for the Day Nursery
| this afternoon detest such things.
I'd send the amount in a check only
don't want to give any one Of the
women managing the affair the salts
! faction Of bringing in all that money
at once. But 1 would like to help the
! good cause along a little. Now your
Job today will be to go to that fair
and spend this money! little here
and little there without letting any
one know TIM responsible"
At f1rst this did not seem like such
herculean task-at least not SO bad
| as the trip to the milliner's or some
| other Of his recent errands. But Tom
Travers had never attended q fair be
fore. He had the money changed into
| i've and ten-dollar bills and carried
| fat wallet in an inside pocket to his
| afternoon lectures so that he could
| stop at the fair In mid-afterno0n.
| First he went' the rounds system
| atically. He bought fve-dollar doll
| at the doll table and left twenty dol
lars without taking any change. Then
! he passed on to the fancy table, where
he acquired something all covered
i with embroidery and lace. the purpose
| of which he did not know, and left
| twenty dollars for that, though 1t was
| priced but ten At the candy table
he left Ave dollars for pound OF
/ adamantine fudge, left twenty dollars
for a single rose at the flower table
and had little difficulty In getting the
young girl at the grab bag to accept
a ten-dollar bill instead Of ten cents
| for his chance.
But Tom so far had spent only $75.
He had $425 still to dispose of and he
found that he had already attracted
considerable attention. He took a
seat in the tea room, hoping here to
derive inspiration for the rapid spend
ing Of the rest OF his money.
Tom was interrupted in his reverie
by the appearance of very pretty
young woman clad in what was in
tended to represent the costume of a