The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-11-07
In a Disused
Mail Box
By ANTHONY REIMERT

By ANTHONY REIMERT
Alderman held prominent
position in the town at the time.
He had wife and two grown
He was in good business standing.
Why man In this position
should have chosen to make such
q test cannot be ascertained. Per.
haps Alderman had been brOOding.
At any rate, he had been worrying
over lot Of little things, though
bis financial standing was as good
as ever.
"May," he said to his wife. I'm
ruined"
"What do you mean. Charles7"
Everything I've got Il gone
The house Is mortgaged and will
have to be sold. Well have to send
the girls out to work and take q
single room in town."
May flew into frerzy, and Ack.
erman smiled grlmly 10 nlmself. He
had proved that one, at least, of
the persons who should have stood
by him was composed OF pretty
poor clay.
She told him that she was going
to leave him. If she had to live
under those conditions she would
get a position with the girls. and
he could pick up his business and
then she'd see whether they'd re-
turn to him.
Dorothy came in Tuning. "You
mean to say l can't 60 to college7"
she demanded.
I'm afraid not. You'll have to
90 through a business course and
take position as typ!st."
Dorothy covered her father with
opprobrium, and finally founced
out of the room. And Alderman
smiled again. He had never had
much faith In Dorothy.
Della was different. Della was
his favorite. Della took the news
more calmly.
II think it's a rotten shame,
Daddy" she said, "andl I'm quite
ready to go to work."
"Will you stay with me, dearr'
asked Alderman.
Della promised she would. but q
day or two later she told him that
she was going to join her mother
and sister in sharing an apartment
they had taken in town.
May absolutely refused to live
with her husband. She said he had
caused her too much humiliation
Let him make money again, and
then she would see whether she
was willing to come back to him.
To all which Alderman smiled
interiorily. But his test had I'M.
expected results from other quar-
tiers. In the first place, although
his business was 20 miles away
from the small town whence he
committed, in some mysterious man
ner the news got about, aud shOal
of creditors came down upon him.
When Alderman had begun his
test. he had meant to keep It up
for about "a hours and then tell
his wife and daughters the truth.
But May had apparently spread the
news everywhere out Of sheer dis
loyalty. It was strange how DIFF.
ferent the attitude Of the local peo.,
pie suddenly became.
The bank demanded that Acker.
man take up certain note imme.
diately. The very grocer refused
!; to give more credit. And Acker.
. man found that his old friends
showed tendency either to cut
} him or to have an important ap.
pointment when they met him.
Pride kept him on his course.
What he had started as grim Jest
became reality. he arranged for
the sale Of his house, he gave his
wife a thousand dollars which he
, told her he had saved from the
wreck, and he watched her depart.
, She and the girls went Indignantly
even Della, though she cried at
the end.
, Left alone, Alderman took q room
at a boarding house and reviewed
his situation. He decided>that May
and the girls were not worth trou.
bling about further. He sold his
business on the nail, and found
himself with just $4,000 in the
world.
!, He deposited this sum In another
bank, and then sent a check for
It 10 his wife, together with let.
= ter explaining the circumstances.
It was a bitter letter, and he did
not realize that he had expected
too much Of human nature. After
he had written 1t he blew his brains
out. This caused q considerably
stir in the town. Ackerman's wife
0 and daughters appeared in deep
mourning for six months after the
funeral.
: But Ackerman's $4,000 still re
!, - mains in the bank among the IN
e claimed funds, for Alderman post
Il ed the letter in disused mail-b0x
y e. 1923. Western Newspaper Uuirn.)
pRAICCS RIITH