The Elk Mountain pilot., 1923-11-01
Castles il
Air
By ELLA SAUNDERS
70. Isaa. Western Newspaper upIon' =,

n
UT 7 NDER the terms of your uncle,s
- will you are to receive the sum
of five thousand dollars. We shah
appreciate an eariy visit on your mart
to our Office"
Dora stood reading the letter. So
Uncle VIII had left her five thousand
dollarsl Her heart leaped at the
thought. She was rich beyond the
dreams Of avarice.
What should she do with it7 She
must help all who had been SO kInd
to her, of course. Dora lived with
Aunt Matty. a relative on her mothers
side; n, Of them were related to
her Uncle VIII or knew anything
about him. But Aunt Matty had given
Dora board and room-the garrett
for ten dollars a week, and Dora
helped with the housework when sb.
came home from the office where she
was employed as stenographer.
Had she not been shrinking and
timid she would have left them. She
knew that they exacted a good deal
from her. She had almost begun TO
dislike them. But now everybody
would be happy.
Five thousand dollarsi Well, there
must be thousand for Ruth, the
clever one. who wanted to 20 to col
lege and couldn't bear the Idea of
having to work her way through. Poor
Ruth was 30 sensitive. Then five hun
dred-just a loan-to Charley, who
wanted to open a garage. He would
pay her back, Of course, but still she,
would count the money as gone. Five
hundred for her aunt, to buy some
new clothes and have the furniture
recovered. That made two thousand.
And Uncle Jim, who was so pushed
for little more capital for his store
he must have a thousand. That was
three thousand.
And of course she must give a 1.-THE
a tenth-five hundred to charitable.
purposes. That left fifteen hundred.
Perhaps she would spend fifty on
herself, for some new clothes. The
rest must go into the bank, to be
boarded against a rainy day.
Dora dreamed of 1t all the way
home, and went in SO happy that all
looked at her in surprise.
They were a glum family, she had
to admit that, as they sat grumbling
over their victuals. Uncle Jim was
complaining of impending bankruptcy
you'll have to cut down on the
living expenses" he told Aunt Mat
ty.
Jim, tell you again what I've
told you over and over. you don't know
how much 1t costs to keep a family
Aunt Matty answered viciously. "T
can't do with penny less. so nowl"
Charley was full of talk about the
projected garage. II only want fve
hundred-gee whiz, amt there a
Christian in this burg willing to lend
that much7" he moaned.
As for Ruth, she sat silent and sui
len through the meal. The poor child,
thought Doral She was eating her
heart out over the prospect Of having
to give up college or to work her way
through
The wonderful news trembled on
the tip Of Dora's tongue, but she re-
Trained. She did not intend to say
word until she could put the money
Into their hands. She was SO happy
at the prospect that her aunt's Gus
tomary seedlings fell of her back as
light as water from a ducks.
During the following days she felt
warmer attachment toward them
than ever before. They all noticed the
change in her. they thought she was
In love. and joked In a nasty spirit
Dora kept her secret.
Another letter from the lawyers
She had written about an appoint
ment; this no doubt was their answer:
But she stood staring in dismay at
what she read:
I'VE beg to inform you that since
writing you 1t has been discovered
that your uncle secretly married sub
sequently to drawing up his will. I'm
der the law Of the state, this makes
the will invalid, and accordingly we
regret to state that the bequest to
you Is invalid. :"
Dora went slowly homeward. All
the light was gone out of her future
Her feet fell leaden on the flags.
i've got to cheer up," she told her
self. TITS a mercy I didn't tell them,
anyway"
And suddenly she realized that she
had received greater gift even than
the legacy; the understanding of and
sympathy with these cramped lives
that had come to her-and a strength
that had not been hers before.
Smiling, Dora went in.