Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-02-23
Trench-Nellis
Fortunes
By CLAIRE SMITH.

WlSneS TO 40 you IulI Justice, MI.
Denslow.'
81 hope so. 1t is my due" observed
Vane Denslow.
"YOur uncle is glad to help you in
a business way" pursued his agent
and attorney, Mr.. Thacker.
"He has great future plans for you
AS soon as you get all your arrange
ments for going into business made. he
wants to have you shoot straight
ahead. See? In fact, he has you III
his eye as a-what shall | say? A
very promising party Cor his ward,
Miss Nellis. You've heard of her?
Think of the vast mutual interests if
the Trench and Nellis fortunes could
be consolidated"
"In other words" broke in Vane
coldly, my uncle offers a bride to
have me become a puppet in his
hands?"
Not at all-not at ALL" the willy
lawyer FASTENED to declare. "He only
hopes you will see things in his way"
Not in the matter of the selection
of a wife," observed Vane. "He had
better not try It'll Does he know, sir,
that l am honorably engaged to a
young lady here in Wilby?"
"Just so. Indeed not. Just e
toned it. Ha, hum! Forget it, my
lear young friend. Good day."
In brief, the attorney had appeared
to make Vane a proposition-to 90 to
Meriden, fifty miles away, and enter
into business. His uncle was about
to retire, a wealthy man. The eleva-
tor he owned controlled a fine trade.
He offered to make a gift of it to his
nephew.
Vane Denslow was a proud, saif-re-
liant young man, but he saw his way
clearly to accept the gift. In his mind
and in his uncle's mind and in the
minds of all who knew a great deal,
but could not legally prove the same.
when Vane's father died his brother
in-law had managed by a quirk of the
law to get hold of some valuable prop
erty by all moral right belonging to
the. DenSlowS.
There was no doubt that old
Trench's conscience as he got older
had urged him to a grudging reStitu-
ton, the way Vane figured it out.
LEONE, at Wildly, began to receive
some letters that nearly broke her
heart at the first, and Dale, at Meri-
den, in turn received news concerning
his fiancee that amazed him. Forum
kAI 10 ~av 1Axvn TO WiIhu for on
explanation.
ut is all clear to me- he said to
LEONE. "Some trouble maker has got
the news to you of my gay life at
Meriden, and to me of the numerous
beaux you are going around with, to
separate rs. 1 know who it is, and l
know why. LEONE, dear, we must out
wit these plotters. Whisper, DEAR"
and the interview wound up in an ex-
cursion to a nearby city, and then
Vane went back to his work.
Vane was introduced to his uncle's
ward, Miss Dolly Nellis.
Dolly made sure hat her guardian
was out of hearing as she sat down
on a rustic bench.
"Mr. Denslow," she whispered in a
1uttering tone, "are we all, all alone?"
81 think we are, Miss Nellis,' re-
piled Vane wonderingly.
Can l tell you a dreadful, dread
full secret?" she wavered.
II shall be honored by your conf
dence," intimated Vane.
"Then-then, oh, dear! 1 hope it
won't break your heart, but II am
engaged"
81 must congratulate you"
ooh, 1 am so glad!" gushed the fair
Dolly.
81 will tell you a secret, too, dear
Miss Nellie" said Denslow. 81 am al
ready married"
81 could almost kiss you for de-
light p cried Dolly. 81 will your wife,
when 1 meet her. oh, 1 I'M so happy!"
When old man Trench learned how
his nephew had outwitted him through
a secret marriage to LEONE at the
time his emissary Thacker was plot
ting to separate them, he wrote an
awful letter to Vane.
In a dignified way the latter in
formed him that the business he had
given him barely made up for what
he had robbed his father of. If, how
ever, Trench, Thacker & Co. felt that
they had in any way been circum-
vented, resulting in a loss to their
prospects, Vane would set aside the
profits of the business he had man
aged to build up wonderfully, and
would restore the original investment
to his money-loving relative.
Trench quoted down after this. AS
to Dolly and Reginald, they eloped I'M
der the very nose of the old man, SO
1t was dire r%etribution for the crafty
schemers all around.