Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1923-05-05
Old Lawyer
Tom Lee

By ELLA SAUNDERS
%. 1923. western Newspapsr Union.l

friendship he had asked her to marry
him, and she had refused Now, as
he stopped one moment with his hand
upon the door he knew that it was
all useless she would never have him.
He was fifty-fye and Nell Ransom
fOrty-seven. Too old for love? Old
people would smile. Love is not a per
quisite of boys and girls. And Tom
Lee had loved Nell since they were
children.
In fact Tom and Dick Ransom had
been rivals for pretty Nelrs hand in
the long ago. Handsome. ne'er- do-wen
Dick had won her.
TON, DEAR" she said to him that
evening, I'm going to marry Dick. but
III be your friend, really your friend
for life. You can always trust TO
that"
Friendship is a cold draft after love,
and for many years Tom Lee saw
little of Nell Ransom. They lived in
a fine house, for Dick was prospecting
as representative of a metropolitan
company. Then came the evening
when Dick came TO Tom.
I'm ruined" he said.
The story filtered out. He had been
specializing; he had made away with
$4,000 of his company's money 1t
had to be replaced within two days.
Tom thought of Nell and of her
faith in Dick Ransom, and he drew
all he had out of the bank, borrowed
what ne needed to make up the deficit,
and lent 1t to Dick. II crippled him
for years. But he felt that he was
serving Nell.
Dick never attempted to repay him,
and the subject was tacitly allowed to
drop
Rive years pasesd. Then slowly ru-
NOR began to creep through the
town touching on Dick Ransoms rela-
ti0ns with a Mrs. Cleeyes, a widow
who had come to live there. Tom
was one of the first to hear of them.
OF course he said nothing-what was
athere 10 say? But his heart was filled
with sorrow for Nell, who worshiped
her husband in all the candor of her
nature.
Then came day when Tom found
letter waiting for him at his office. 1t
was from Dick, telling him that he
and Mrs. Cleeves had left for New
York on their way south together; it
asked him to look after his affairs and
TO break the news to Nell.
Tom went to Nell. He learned that
her husband had gone to New York
on business trip,
lie went to New York, studied the
visitors books at all the hotels, and
found the couple. He walked straight
up to their suite.
The hour that followed was the most
terrible in Tom Lees life. Stubbornly,
refusing to be beaten, he put the situa-
ton before Mrs Oleeyes and Dick.
And at the end of the hour 1t was
the woman who sent Dick Ransom
away.
Tom Lee exacted her promise that
she would never see him again. He
brought Dick back, broken. He housed
him for a day, spruced him up, and
sent him home to Nell. She never
learned anything, and after while the
gossip died away.
Then Dick Ransom died of typhoid
fever, his wife at his side, believing
him the best man upon earth. Five
years passed before Tom told Nell
Ransom of his love for her
lie remembered-as he stood in the
doorway-how she put her hand on bis
shoulder
"Tom, dear, there isn't another man
in the world I'm so fond of as of you"
she said But there was Dick and
we were everything to each other. No
shadow ever came between our love.
IL feel 1t would not be faithful to
Dick, Tom"
And she had refused him five times,
and that night was the last.
And temptation to let ner know
not directly. of course, but indirectly
had been fierce in him. All the hopes
of his life, his lifelong love blasted by
her fatuous belief in Dick
None knew better than Tom Lee
that there had been a dozen other
women in Dicks life. though none of
them had reached the mastery that
Mrs Cleeves had acquired over him.
Oh, Dick had been very discreet, and
Nell had worshiped him and trusted
him.
Wei. there was nothing more to be
done 1t was his loyalty to Nell, not
to Dick, that must keep his mouth
closed for ever.
As he was closing the door light
footstep sounded In the hall
TON Just a moment. Toni"
He turned his heart beating. She
was looking at him 50 kindly.
"Tom, 1--we been thinking I-oh.
yes, | VIII. Tom